
Class X— 



Bool 



\ > (->-• 






PRESEIVEy BY 



TECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 



THE LEADING DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES 

OF CHRISTIANITY ARE FAMILIARLY 

EXHIBITED ; 

DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF 

> ^.MILIES^ SABBATH SCHOOLS, ANJ> BIBLE 
CLASSES : 

AND ESPECIALLY 

TOR THE ORAL INSTRUCTION OF THE 
COLORED POPULATION. 

BY A. W. CHAMBLISS. 

' " '■ - 

-"' 4 * Teaching them to observe all things, tvhazsoever"! 

have commanded you" 

* •'•' Which things also we speak, not in the words which 

man's wisdom tsacheth, but which the Holy Ghost 

ieachethP 
»$*« Prophesy according to the proportion of fc 

■ MONTGOMERY: 
BATES, HOOPER & Co., 

'"PRESS OF THE DAILY ALABAMA JOUHIC* J5 

18-47. 




SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, To wir; 

Be rr Known — That on this Twenty -seventh day or 
June, Anno Domini, 1847, A. W. Chambliss, of said 
District, hath deposited in this Office, the title of a Book, 
the title of which is in the words following, to wit : 
" The Catechetical Instructor ; in which the leading 
doctrines and practices of Christianity are familiarily 
exhibited: designed for the use of families, Sabbath 
Schools and Bible Classes, and especially for the oral 
instruction of the colored population, by A. W. Cham- 
bliss,"the right whereof, he claims as author in confor- 
mity with the act of Congress, entitled "an act to amend 
Che several acts respecting copy rights." 

f L. ,%} JOHN FITTS, Clerk of said District , 









FEE face: 



The catechetical mode of instruction is recom 
mended, principally, on account of the simplicity 
<&f its style, and the facility it affords to the teacher 
to correct any misapprehension of truth existing 
in the mind of the learner. 

The present work was prepared at the direction. 
of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, by 
whom also, at their late annual session, in No^ 
veniber, 1846^ it was approved and recommended. 
to the use of the churches.* It containsybwr parts. 
Past I, illustrates the existence and attributes of 
God, and the evidences of a divine revelation, 
sufficient as a rule of faith and manners. Part 
II, relates to the creation and fall of angels and 
men. Part III, exhibits the peculiar doctrines- 
of the remedial scheme. Part IV, states the 
proper organization, officers, ordinances and dis- 
cipline of the christian church. 

The work thus arranged, was mainly designed 
as an aid to teachers, in the various department? 
©f sabbath school instruction, especially the oral 
religious instruction of the colored population. — 
Its object is to exhibit, in a full, easy and connec- 

* See Minutes for 1845, p. 4, and 1846 ? p. 5, 



IV. PREFACE. 

ted form, all the prominent and essential doctrine 
of the christian religion. Pursuant to this object, 
a two-fold plan is maintained throughout the en- 
tire work: — the first, consisting of questions and 
answers ; and the second, of remarks, in the char- 
acter of additional arguments, illustrations, &e. 

The catechetical portion of the work, being par- 
ticularly intended for all classes of learners, was 
prepared with studious regard to simplicity* The 
questions are, for the most part, direct and lead- 
ing ; and the answers are commonly given in the 
pure language of scripture, as, at once, the highest 
authority, and, at the same time, the easiest of un- 
derstanding. 

The remarks, at the close of each catechetical 
lesson, were specially intended for teachers and 
for general readers : nevertheless, they may be 
advantageously, used in ordinary sabbath schools 
and bible classes, by requiring the learners to 
state, severally, the substance of one of the ar- 
guments. 

In presenting this little contribution to the 
cause of religion and truth, the author can hardly 
persuade himself, that it is, in all respects perfect. 
His only apology is, that it is the best his time and 
circumstances allowed : but should it meet that 
degree of favor with the christian public, which 
he has so ardently desired, he promises them anew 
edition, when he will, most gladly, avail himself 
of the suggestions of his more experienced and 



PREFACE. V. 

aniightened co-laborers in the vineyard of his di- 
vine Master. 

With earnest prayer to him, without whom a 
Paul might plant and an Appollos water in vain, 
that he will render it a blessing, both to the 
teacher and the leaner, this volume is now com- 
mitted to the judgment and candor of the wise and 
the good. A, W, C, 

Cross Keys, Macon co. Ala, 



O t jL: 












INTRODUCTION, 

&BY REV. BASIL MANLY, D.^ 



The work contained in the following pages be- 
longs to a class, at once unpretending, yet difficult 
of execution. It is intended for learners in the 
elements of religious truth ; yet it requires com- 
prehensiveness, accuracy, simplicity. The author 
>eems to have performed his task with studious 
regard to all these requisites. It is full, and in- 
structive ; — adapted to good use in the Sunday 
schools ; whether of whites, or of colored people ; 
youthful or adult. At the same time, simplicity 
is secured by the admirable adaptation of answers 
for the questions in. the very "words which the Holy 
Ghost teacheth." This is a striking merit which 
the present work possesses, beyond ordinary 
"Catechisms. 

The Remarks, added at the close of each lesson, 
were intended for teachers — to suggest topics for 
a familiar talking Lecture to the classes of learn- 



Mil. INTRODUCTION. 

era;. They are original and forcible; often strifes 
ing : and, in proper hands, it is hoped they will 
do good. Should the work come into that general 
use which it is believed to deserve, the Catheche* 
tical part, for convenience and cheapness, maybe 
printed in some editions^ separate from the "Re- 
marks." 

May the laborious and able author reap the 
highest of all rewards, — the assurance that his 
work is owned by heaven, in building up the sotils 
of men on the most holy faith. 

B. MANLY, 

IJnkfrsity of Alabama, 1846, 



TABLE OF CONTENTS, 



Lessons for Children* 

PART I, 

G.OD— The Existence of,' 

A Spirit, - - 

Unity of, - 
Eternity of, 
The. Omnipotence of, 

*' Omnipresence of, 

"' Omniscience of, - - 

" Immutability of, 

hi Veracity of, 

* ; Righteousness and Justice of, 

" Benevolence of,, - 

u Mercy of, - - - 

" Holiness of, 

Trinity, - - - 
THE SACRED SCRIPTURES—. 
A Divine Revelation, 
Their Completeness and Fullness, 
Their Excellency and Study, 

PART II. 

CREATION— The World, - - - 

Angels, 



PAGE . 

16: 



25 

44 
59, 
54 
58 
63 
68 
T5 
82 
87- 
93 
98 
104 
109 

2g 

H 



40 



115 



TABLE OT" CONTENTS. 



ANGELS— The Fall of, - - 


■ 127 


CREATION— Man, - - 


• 133 


MAN— The Fall of, - . ■ - 


. 141 


SIN — Original and Universal, 


150 


The Law, - 


. 156 


Total Depravity, - 


164 


PART III. 




COVENANT OF REDEMPTION, 


173 


CHRIST— The Divinity of, 


183 


" " Humanity of, 


190 


" " Death of, - - 


198 


" " Resurrection of, - 


206 


The Atonement, - 


216 


Faith, 


225 


The Holy Ghost, - - ' . 


234 


Regeneration, 


242 


Repentance, 


251 


Justification, 


260* 


Election, - 


269 


Perseverance of the Saints, 


283 


Death and the Resurrection, 


294 


The final Judgment, 


299 


Heaven, — « ; -- '- 


309 


Hell, - - . 


314 


PART IV, 




THE CHURCH, 


323 


Officers of the church— The Ministry, 330 


" Deacons, 339 


Ordinances of the the Church — Baptism, 344 


The Lord's Supper, 351 


Church Discipline, 


358 



I LESSONS INTRODUCTORY. XI, 

MORNING PRAYER, 

Mow I awake and see the light, 
?Twas God that kept me thro' the night, 
To him I'll lift my voice and pray, 
That he may keep me thro' the day : 
ftf I should die before 'tis done 

God accept me thro' thy Son, — '-Amen* 

EVENING PRAYER. 

Now I lay me down to sleep, 

1 pray the Lord my soul to keep ; 
If I should die before I wake, 

I pray the Lord my soul to take, — Amen. 

MORNING FORM OF THE LOR3> 9 $ PRAYER* 

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be 
thy name : thy kingdom come : thy will be done 
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day 
our daily bread ; and forgive us our debts, as we 
forgive our debtors ; and lead us not into tempta- 
tion, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the 
kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. 

Amen. 

EVENING FORM OF THE LORD'S PRAYER 5 
Our Father whi^h art in heaven, Hallowed be 
thy name : thy kingdom come — thy will be done, 
as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our 
daily bread: and forgive us our sins ; for we also 
forgive every one that is indebted to us : and lead 
us not into temptation; but deliver us/rom evil: 
for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the 
glory, forever.— Amen. 



Jil. LESSONS INTRODUCTORY. 

PRAYER BEFORE MEAL. 

O Lord, thou openest thy hand, and satisfiesr 
the desire of every living thing. Grant us a sanc- 
tified use of this provision of thy bounty, that it 
may/strengthen our bodies to fulfil thy pleasure. 
through Christ Jesus our Lord. — Amen. 

Or thus. 

Father of all mercies, from whom we receive 
every good and perfect gift ! with this renewed 
Expression of thy goodness* in providing tor out 
returning wants, grant us the remission of our sins. 
and give us grace to eat, and drink, and do every 
thing to thy glory, — for Christ's sake. — Amen. 

THANKS AFTER MEAL. 

Accept of our thanks, Divine Father, for the 
present supply of our necessities. Continue thy 
goodness unto us ; and especially, feed our souls 
upon the bread of life, whereof, if a man eat he 
shall not die : — for thy mercy's sake. — Amen. 

Or thus. 

We give thee thanks, O Shepherd of IsraeL 
that thou hast again supplied our wants with good 
and wholesome food. Give us grace to devote the 
strength derived from it to the praise of thy glory; 
and forbid that our table, should at anytime, be- 
come a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling-block 
unto, us: for Christ's sake. — Amen. 



RELATIVE DUTIES 

RULERS. 

•" The God of Israel said, He that ruleth over 
men must be just, ruling in the fear of the Lord." 
2 Sam. xxiii, 3. 

" It is not good to have respect of persons in 
judgment. He that saith unto the wicked, "Thou 
art righteous ; him shall the people curse, nations 
shall abhor him." Pro. xxiv, 23, 24. 

"It is not good for kings to drink wine ; nor 
princes strong drink : le«;t they drink and forget 
the law, and pei vert the judgment of any of the 
afflicted," Pro. xxxi, 4, 5. 

Subjects. 

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher 
powers. For there is no power but of God: the 
powers that be, are ordained of God. Rulers are 
not a terror to good works ; but to the evil. And 
he is the minister of God to thee for ^ood. For 
this cause pay ye tribute also. Render to all 
their dues^— tribute to whom tribute is due ; cus- 
tom, to whom custom ; fear, to whom fear: honor 
to whom honor." Rom. xiii, 1-7. 

Husbands. 

"The husband is the head of the wife, even as 
Christ is the head of the church. " Husbands, 
love your wives, even as Christ loved the church." 
" Let every one of you love his wife, even as him- 
self." Eph. v, 23, 25, 28, 3d. 



MY* RELATIVE DUTIES, 



Wives. 



"Wives submit yourselves unto your own hus-^ 
bands, as unto the Lord." "As the church is 
subject unto Christ, so let the wives be unto their 
own husbands in every thing." Eph, v, 22, 24> 
Col. iii, 18. 

Parents* 

"Fathers, provoke not your children ; but bring 
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." 
" Train up a child in the way he should go, and 
when he is old he will not depart from it.*" 
" Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not 
thy soul spare for his crying." Eph. vi, 4. Pro* 
xxii, 6. ib. xiv, 8. 

Children. 

" Children obey your parents in all things, for 
this is well pleasing unto the Lord." " My son, 
hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not 
the law of thy mother."' "The eye that mocketh 
his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the 
ravens shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat 
it." " Cursed be he that setteth lightly by his fa- 
ther or his mother." Col. iii, 20. Pro. i, 8. ib, 
xxx, 17. Deut. xxvii, 16, 

Masters. 

"Masters give unto your servants that which 
is just and equal : knowing that ye also have a 
Master in heaven." "And ye masters, do the 
same things unto them, forbearing threatening ; 



RELATIVE DUTIES, XV a . 

Snowing that your Master also is in hdaven ; 
3*either is there any respect of persons with him " 
Col. iv, U Eph. vi, 9v 

Servants,. 

Exhort servants to be obedient unto their owit 
masters, and to please them well in all things : 
not answering again ; not purloining; but shewing 
all good fidelity : that they may adorn the doctrine 
of God our Savior." "Servants, be obedient unto 
them that are your masters according to the flesh, 
with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, 
as unto *Christ : — -not with eye-service, as men s 
pleasers ; but, as the servants of Christ, doing the 
will of God from the heart." " Servants, be sub- 
ject to your masters with all fear ; not only to the 
good and gentle; but also to the fro ward. Tit. ii, 
9-14. Eph. vi, b, 6. Col. iii, 22-25. 1 PeW 
Ii, 18. 

The Golden Rule, 

"Therefore, all things, whatsoever ye would; 
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them t ; 
for this is the Law and the Prophets," Math,,. 



WESSONS FOR CHILDREN, v. 

GOB. 

; estiox. Who made you I 
Answer. God made me. 

Q. What is God? 

A. God is a great Spirit. 

Q. How many Gods are there 7 

A. There is but one true God, # 

Q. Where is God ? 
A. Every where. 

Q. What does God know ? 

A. God sees and knows ail things, 

Q. When did God begin to exist ? 

A. God has always been, and always v 

Q. Does God ever change ? 
A. No. God is unchangeable. 

Q. What can God do ? 
A. God can do every thing* 

Q. Will not God always do right ? 
A. Yes. God is holy : he will not do imjustiY. 
;:i<:>r speak a lie, 

Q. Is not God good and merciful to his crea- 
tures ? 

A. Yes. God is love : and his tender meix\°* 
£re over all his works. 



LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. XV11* 

Q, Since then, God is so great, and so good, 
should we not love and fear Mm?. 

A. Yes, We should love and fear the Lord at 

all times,. 



LESSONS FOR" CHILDREN. No, II. 

MAN* 

Question. Who was the first man 1 
Answer. Adam was the first man, and he wa^ 
the father of us all. 

Q. Out of what was man made ? 

A. God made man of the dust of the ground, 

Q. For what did God make man ? 

A. God made man to love and glorify him. 

Q, How may we glorify God ? 
A. We glorify God by doing his will, and 1©¥~ 
ing our fellow creatures. 

Q. Have you always done the will of God ? 
A. No. I have sinned and done wickedly. 

Q. What is sin? 

A,. Sin is a transgression of God's law. - 



XV111. LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. 

Q. Are there any who have not sinned agains: 
God? 

A, No, All have sinned and come short of the 
glory of God, 

Q. Whence do the sins of men proceed ? 
A. Sin comes from a wicked and bad heart. 

Q. Have all men got wicked and bad hearts . 
A. Yes. The hearts of the sons of men are 
fully set in them to do evil. 

Q. What is the wages of sin ? 
A, The wages of sin is death. 

Q. What then will become of those who con 
tinue in sin ? 

A. They who continue in sin wilj. be destroy- 

ed forever. 



LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. No. IIL 

THE REDEEMER. 

Q,. Who is the Redeemer ? 

A. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer. 

Q. Who is Jesus Christ ? 
A. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and a di^ 
yiae person. 



■ LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. " XIX* 

' Q. From what hath Christ Redeemed us ? 

A, Christ hath redeemed us from the just 
mmishment of sin. 

Q. How did Christ redeem us from punish- 
ment ? 

A. Christ redeemed us by dying for us on the 
cross. 

Q. How long has it been since Christ was 
crucified ? 

A. Christ was crucified more than eighteen 
hundred years ago. 

Q,. What became of Christ after he was cruci- 
fied ? 

Q. He was buried; and on the third day he rose 
again. 

Q. Where is he now ? 

A. Christ hath gone up to heaven, where he 
ever Kveth to intercede for us. 

Q. r How does the death and intercession of 
Christ effect our redemption ? 

A. God the Father pardons our sins and saves 
us for the sake of his Son, who died for us, and 
in our stead. 

Q. On what condition do we become savingly 
interested in the death of Christ ? 

A. We share the benefits of Christ's death, on 
:he condition of repentance and faith. 

Q. What is repentance ? 

A. Repentance is to be very sorry for our sins, 
and to cease from them „ 



XX. LESS0XS FOR CHILDREN, 

Q. What is faith? 

A. Faith is to take Christ for our Saviour, 
to trust in him for eternal life. 



LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. No. IV. 

THE SAZnCTIFIER. 

Question. Who is the Sanctifier ? 
Axswer. The«Holy Ghost is the Sanctifier. 

Q. What is the Holy Ghost ? 
A. The Holy Ghost is a divine person, equal 
with the Father and the Son. 

Q. How does the Holy Ghost sanctify us ? 
A. The Holy Ghost sanctifies us by renewing 
eur hearts, and causing us to do well. 

Q. Would any one love God, or believe en 
Christ, if his heart were not renewed ? 

A. No. The hearts of sinners are filled with 
unbelief and enmity to God. 

Q. What feelings does the Holy Ghost beget 
in a renewed heart ? 

A. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- 
ness and temperance. 



LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. 'XXI, 

Q, What is love ? 

A. Love is a disposition to serve God, and to 
-ltd good to our fellow men. 

Q. What is the joy of the Holy Ghost? \ 

A. Christian joy is a feeling of gladness ana 
ilelight arising from the favor of God. 

Q. What is meekness ? 

A. Meekness is not to be soon angry. 

Q. What is humility ? 

A.. Humility is not to think too highly of om- 
Selves, or of our works ; hut to be modest and re- 
tiring. ^ 

Q. Should not all christians and good people 
be humble, meek, and affectionate ? 

A. Yes. Pride, anger, and ill-will God hates* 



LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. No. V. 

THE SCRIPTURES, 

Q. Where may we learn the will of God I 
A. We may learn the will of God in the 
-Scriptures of the old and New Testament. 

Q. By whom were the Scriptures written ? 
A. The Scriptures were written by Prophets 
znd Apostles chosen of God, 



XXII. LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. 

Q. How many books do the Scriptures con- 
tain? 

A. There are thirty-nine books in the Old 
Testament, and twenty- seven in the New. 

Q,. Do the Scriptures contain all things ne- 
cessary to our duty, and our salvation ? 

A. Yes. The Scriptures are able to make 
as wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Q. How were the Prophets and Apostles en- 
abled to make known the will of God ? 

A. Holy men of God spake as they were m**- 
ved by the H^jy Ghost. 

Q. Were all the Scriptures written under the 
direction; and influence of the Holy Spirit ? * 

A. Yes. All Scripture was given by inspira- 
tion of God. 

Q. Do the Scriptures contain any thing that 
is not true ? 

A. No. The word of God is true from the 
beginning. 

Q,. How then should we study the Scriptures ? 
A. We should study the Scriptures with faith, 
and with earnestness of heart. 

Q. Can any thing be right for us to do or be- 
lieve, which is denied in the Bible ? 

A. No. If men speak not according to this 
word, there is no light in them. 

Q. How should we act with regard to what 
:he Scriptures forbid ? 



LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. XX11 1£ 

A* We should not do that, which is forbidden 
In the word of God. 

Q, How should we act with regard to w T hat 
the Scriptures command ? 

A. We should do all things .commanded in the 
word of God. 



LESSONS FOR CHILDREN. No. VL 

THE MORAL LAW. 

Question. What does God require in the Jim 
commandment ? 

Answer. The Lord saith, Thou shalt have no 
other gods before me, 

Q. What is required, in the second command- 
ment ? 

A. Thou shalt not worship idols, nor bow- 
down to them. 

Q. What is required in the third command- 
ment ? 

A. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in a vain manner. 

Q. What is the fourth commandment ? 

A. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holv, 

Q. What is the fifth commandment ? 

A. : Honor thy father and thy mother. 



XXIV. LESSONS FOE CHTLDfiEIN'. 

Q. What is the sixth commandment ! 
A. Thou shalt not kill. 

Q. Whatiis the seventh commandment ? 
A. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

Q, What is the eighth commandment ? 
A. Thou sfia.lt not steal. 

Q. What is required in the ninth commano^ 
ment ? 

A. Thou shalt not bear false-witness against 
.thy neighbor. 

Q. What is required in the tenth command- 
ment ? 

A. Thou shalt. not covet anything that be- 
longs to thy neighbor. 

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN VERSE, 
I, Thou shalt have no other gous but me, 
XL Before no idol bow thy knee, 

III. Take not the name of God in vain, 

IV. IS 7 or dare the Sabbath day profane. 

V. Give both thy parents honor due : 

VI. Be sure that thou no murder do. 

VII. Abstain from words and thoughts unclean 

VIII. Nor steal, though thou art poor and mean : 

IX. Nor make a wilful lie, nor love it 

X. What is thy neighbors dare not covet. 

THE UNIVERSAL RULE. 
Render, therefore, unto Caesar, the ihings which 
are Csesar's : and unto God, the things tha 
Opd'*. Mat. tfxii. 2L 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 



PART 1. 



LESSON I. 

GOD THE EXISTENCE OF. 

Question. What is the first great truth In Re- 
ligion ? 

Answer. The first great truth of Religion is, 
" There is one God." Mark xii. 32. 

Q. Can any person be religious who believes 
there is no God? 

A. No. He that cometh to God must believe 
that he is,, and that he is a re warder of them that 
diligently seek him, Heb. xi. 6. 

Q. How do men know that there is a God ? 

A, That which may be known of God is mani- 
fest unto them ; for God hath showed it unto them. 
Rom. i. 19. 
3 



th] al i-nstkuctgb; 

In what way hath God revealed himself to 
mankind 1 

A. The invisible things of him, from the .: 
lion of the world are clearly seen, being under - 
by the things which are made. Rom, ' 
Q. Do not the Heavens, as well as the E 
re that there is a God of great powo. 
>m ? 
A. i es. The Heavens declare fhe 
ment she weth his h"ai 
rns xix. 1. 
Q. Are not the refreshing rains and fruitful 
immer, autumn, and winter— 
3 that there is a God ? 
A. Yes. God hath not left himself without a 
ss, in that, he did good and gave us rain from 
fruitful seasons, filling our I 
Acts xiv. 17. 
When you go forth in the morning, and he- 
boid the sun rising in all his glory, of what ai ' 
you ] 

A. I am reminded that there is a God, who 
. his sun to rise on the evil and on the good. 
. v. 45. 
Q. . Who made all these things — the Eaiih, and 
Heavens, the sun, and the rains ? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 27 

A. God made Heaven and Earth, and the sea* 
and all things that are therein. Acts xiv. 15. 

Q. Have not all men these evidences of a God ? 

A. Yes. Day unto day uttereth speech, night 
unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no 
speech nor language where their voice is not 
heard. Psalms xix. 2, 3. 

REMARKS. 

First.' u The fool hath said in his heart, tltert 
hno God : and surely he must be a fool who 
should say it : nor can even the fool assert such 
things save in his heart. It were, indeed, a ifrat- 
tor of astonishment, that any intelligent and sen* 
ffible person should behold the earth spread out 
into hills and mountains, and seas and oceans ; 
or looking up to the Heavens, should contemplate 
the immense magnitudes of those worlds above, 
a&d the uninterrupted harmony of their -motions 
for thousands of years, without feeling the convic- 
tions of the Godhead rising in his heart." 

Secondly. If there is a God who hath made 
all things ■, how industriously should we study his 
'karacier and, will! Who is God? For what/ 
purpose hath he made this vast universe, and peo- 
pled it with every species of existence, both ani- 
mate and inanimate '? These are important ques- 
tions, and invite us to an employment at once in- 
teresting and profitable. " His divine power hath 
given unto us all things, that pertain unto life and 
godliness, through the knowledge of him." There- 



28 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

fore, " acquaint now thyself with him and be at 
peace ; whereby good shall come unto thee." 

Thirdly. If there is a God, let us walk wor- 
thy of him. It was a great crime of the ancient 
philosophers, that "when they knew God they 
glorified him not as God :" and many in our days 
Avho " profess that they know God, in 'works deny 
him-r— being abominable and disobedient, and un- 
to every good work reprobate." They who neg- 
lect his service — despise his people — forsake his 
ordinances, and contemn his authority : what bet- 
ter are these than " the fool, who hath said in his 
heart there is no God ?" We should worship him 
that made Heaven, and Earth, and the sea, and 
the fountains of waters." Rev, xiv. 7. 



LESSON II. 

THE SACRED SCRIPTURES A DIVINE REVELATION. 

Question. Has God revealed himself to man- 
kind in any other way than by the works of crea- 
tion ? 

Answer. Yes. We have, also, a more sure 
word of prophecy ; whereunto, ye do well that ye 
take heed, as unto a light, that shineth in a dark 
place, 2 Peter b 19. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 29 

Q. What is the sure word of prophecy, which 
is as a light that shineth in a dark place i 

A. The sacred Scriptures of the Oid and New 
Testiment. These are a lamp unto our feet and 
a light unto our path. Psalms cxix. 105. 

Q. By whom did God, at different times, thus 
make known his character and will to men ? 

A. God, at sundry times and in divers manners, 
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets ; 
but hath in these last days spoken unto us by his 
Son, and by his holy apostles. Heb. i. 1, 2 — 2 
Peter iii. % 

Q. How were the prophets and apostles ena- 
bled to understand and to make known the char- 
acter and will of God 1 

A. The prophecy came not in oid time by the 
will of men ; but holy men of God spake as they 
were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter i. 21 — 
1 Cor. ii. 10-13. 

Q, Did the prophets and apostles say that they 
thus spake by revelation. 

A. Yes. St. Paul said, I certify you brethren, 
that the Gospel, which was preached of me, is not 
after man : for I neither received it of man, nei- 
ther was I taught it, but by the revelation of Je- 
sus Christ. Gal. i. 11, 12. Num. xxii. 38, ib. 



30 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

xxiii. 5. Isaiah i. 20. Jer. xxv. 3. Acts iv. B, 
ib. xv. 28. 

Q. Did the early Christians receive the words 
of the apostles and prophets as a revelation from 
God, 

A, Yes. When they received the word of God, 
which they heard of the apostles, they received i 
not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the 
word of God. 1 Thess. ii. 13. 1 Kings xvii. 24. 
Luke i. 70. John ix. 29. Acts i. 16, ib. xxviii. 25. 

Q. Were all the Scriptures given by inspira- 
tion 1 

A. Yes. All Scripture is given by in^iration 
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 
2 Tim. iii. 16. 2 Peter iii. 15, 16, 
REMARKS. 

There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testa- 
ment, and twenty-seven in the New, which we re- 
ceive as a divine revelation : and we submit the 
following as additional evidence of their inspira- 
tion. 

First. The majesty of the things they teach. 
For the most part, tne writers of the sacred vol- 
ume "were ignorant and unlearned men :" and 
yet in a style of wonderful simplicity, familiarity 
and ease, they teach the most cultivated minds of 
the most cultivated ages, wisdom, upon all the 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, SI 

sublime doctrines of God and the soul of time and 
eternity. How is it possible to account for ilii c s 
superiority of knowledge in such men, but upon the 
supposition that they spake as they were moved 
by the Holy Ghost ? 

Secondly, The miricles they record. A mi- 
racle is an extraordinary effect produced by al- 
mighty power, out of the ordinary course of na- 
ture. It is admitted that they were frequently 
performed by the persons whose names -are- men- 
tioned as the "writers of the Old and New Testa- 
ment. They were appealed to, and received by 
the people who witnessed them, as conclusive evi- 
dence that those who produced them, were teach- 
ers sent from God. Thus, for example, when the, 
prophet Elijah raised to life the widow's son of 
Zarephath, by means aside from those that were 
ordinary. and natural, she exclaimed: "Now by 
this, I know that thou art a man of God, and that 
the word of the Lord In thy mouth, is the truth.'" 
1 Kings xvii. 24. Ex, iii. 12, ib. iv 1-9. John 
iii. 2, ih. v. 38 ? ib. xiv. 10, 11. Acts xix, 11, 12. 
Romans xv. 18, 19. 2 Cor. xii. 12. 

Thirdly. The prophecies they contain. To 
prophesy, is to foretell future events. The vo- 
tings of the sacred penmen abound with predic- 
tions concerning things future ; many of which 
have already been literally fulfilled, in the persons, 
cities, nations and empires foretold. Now, the 
question which we would propose to any who may 
doubt the inspiration of the Scriptures is, b 
means were the apostles and prophets enahi 



3*2 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

foreshow, with such astonishing accuracy, the 
events that should occur for centuries and genera- 
tions to come ? The facts are incontrovertible ; 
and their explanation can be found only in the 
admission that the divine illumination rested upon 
those who delivered such prophecies. According- 
ly, the foretelling of future events is by the Deity 
himself, made a criterion for distinguishing those 
who were inspired by his spirit, from those who 
were not. Is. xli. 19-29, ib. xlv. 20, 21, ib. xlvi. 
9, 10, ib. xlviii. 3-14. 

Fourthly. The striking and' universal con- 
currence of all their parts. The sacred penmen 
were coternporaneous with no one age ; nor were 
they all inhabitants of any one country. " They 
succeeded each other during a period of fifteen 
hundred years. Some of them were priests or 
princes ; other were shepherds or fishermen. 
Their natural abilities, education, habits and em- 
ployments were exceedingly dissimilar. They 
wrote laws, history, prophecy, odes, devotional 
exercises, proverbs, parables, doctrines and con- 
troversies. Each man had his distinct depart: 
ment. And yet they all exactly coincide in the 
exhibitions which they give us of the perfection s t 
works, truths and will of God ; of the nature, sit- 
uation, and obligations of man — of sin and salva- 
tion — of this world and the next : in a word — of 
all things connected with our duty, safety, inter- 
est and comfort." Whence is this universal agree- 
ment, under circumstances so unequal ? It can 
lie reasonably accounted for only on one suppo* 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 33 

sition, viz : that they all spate as they were mo- 
ved by the Holy Ghost. But- — 

Finally. Their tendency to elevate the moral 
and intellectual character of man. It is an histo- 
rical fact, which needs no argument to substan- 
tiate, that civilization, learning, and piety to God, 
attain their widest extent, and their highest de- 
gree of perfection, only in those countries, and 
among those nations, where the Christian Scrip- 
tures in their purity are understood, and are re- 
cognized as authority, hi every place, they come 
to man as the Good Samaritan, and hasten to al- 
leviate his woes. The laws which they propose, 
the invitations they offer, the promises they ex- 
tend, and the fearful premonitions by which all 
these are enforced, bear directly upon the restiain^ 
ing of vice, and the cultivation of virtue — bear 
directly upon the reformation of all classes and of all 
orders of society, from the infant of days, to the hoa- 
ry-headed sire— from* tii e menial that grinds at the 
mill, to the crowned monarch that sits the viceger- 
ant of God on Earth. To this meliorating tendency 
of their doctrines and precepts, they specifically al- 
lude, as their highest style of evidence of divine au- 
thenticity ; and with distinctness caution us to re- 
ceive nothing as a revelation from God, however 
authenticated, to which this evidence is wanting, 
" If there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer 
of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and 
the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he 
spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, 
which thou hast not known, and let- us serve them ; 



J4 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

thou slialt not hearken to the words of that proph- 
et, or that dreamer of dreams : for the Lord your 
God proveth you to know whether ye love the 
Lord your God with all your heart and with all 
your soul. Deut. xiii. 1-3. Isaiah ii. 2-5, ib, 
xi; 1-9. 2 Tim. iii, 16. 



LESSON III. 

THE SACKED SCMPTtJRES THEIR COMPLETERS -i 

AND SUFFICIENCY. 

Question. Why did the holy men of old wri t€ 
their words in a hook? 

Answer. They said, I have written unto thee 

excellent things in counsel and knowledge, that I 

might make thee know the certainty of the words 

of truth. Pro. xxii. 20, 21. Luke i. 3, 4. John 

31. 

Q. To whom are the Scriptures given ? 

A. Secret things belong unto the Lord our 
God : hut those things which are revealed belong 
UMto us, and to our children forever. Dieut. xxix. 
29. Mat. xxviii. 19, 20. Mark xvi. 15. 

Q, For what purpose were the Scriptures giv- 
en to mankind ? 

A. Whatever things were written afore-time* 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. tjfjl 

were written for our learning ; that we through 
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might 
have hope. Rom. xv. 4, 1 Cor. x. 11. 

Q, Do the Scriptures contain all things neces- 
sary to our salvation f 

A. Yes. The Holy Scriptures are able to 
make us wise unto salvation through faith which 
is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. iii. JL5-17. 2 Peter 
i. 4. Psalms xix. 7. 

Q. Will God ever make another and new re- 
velation to mankind.? 

A. No if any man preach any other gospel 
unto you, than that ye have received, let him he 
accusred. Gal. L 8, 9. 2 Thess. ii. 2. 

Q. What hath God said he will do unto him who 
shall add any thing to his word? 

A. If any man shall add unto these things, God 
shall add unto him the plagues that are written 
in this book. Rev. xxii. 18. Deut. iv. 2. Pro. 
xxx. 6. 

Q. What will God do unto the man who shall 
take away any thing from the Scriptures ? 

A. If any man shall take away from the words 
of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away 
his part out of the book of life. Rev. xxii. 19 
Deut. xii. 32. 



W THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Q. What is said of those who read, and hear, 
and keep' the word of God ? 

A, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that 
hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those 
things which are written therein. Rev. i. 3. Josh, 
i, 8. Psalms xix. 11. 1 Cor. xi. 2. James i. 25. 

REMARKS. 

Iri a literal sense, the term " Scripture " is- ap- 
plicable to any written document whatever : ne-- 
vertheless, by the consent of universal usage, it 
is now applied to the sacred writings of the Old 
and New Testament alone. We offer the follow- 
ing, as presumptive evidence that these sacred 
writings have not been corrupted or altered in the 
smallest important sense. 

First. Their present fidelity. No possible 
motive could exist to tempt a mutillation of the 
sacred Scriptures, unless to render their descrip- 
tions less offensive, or their sentiments more con- 
genial to the taste and feelings of carnal men.< Li 
this event, the objectionable features, and those 
most liable to alteration, had been such portions 
as stained their pride, censured their faults, con- 
demned their vices and curbed their passions. 
These had been regarded the divine irregularities, 
which required the refining and polishing hand of 
the copyist. But nothing of this is apparent. No 
such marks of expurgation and correction are to 
to be found upon their face. With a frankness, 
plainness, and candor which forbids- such a con- 



TSE CATECHETICAL INSTUCTOKS. 



87 



jecture, they &till represent human character to 
the life— ^-they still denounce human follies — they 
still, in pictures the most abject and humiliating, 
prostrate the haughtiest spirit in the dust ! 

Secondly. There is no proof whatever that 
the Scriptures have at any time suffered an altera- 
tion in the smallest appreciable degree. The world 
has never been destitute of facilities for detecting 
an eyent so important as had been a mutillation 
.of the sacred volume ; nor jet without motives 
sufficient for recording it, if, indeed, it had taken 
place, At a very early period after their publica- 
tion, and in accordance with special regulations 
which they enforced, both the Old and New Tes- 
tament were extensively ; and intimately understood 
among Jews and Christians respectively. Tran- 
scripts, paraphrases, harmonies, and commenta- 
ries upon the one and the other were multiplied and 
increased. In public and in private, they w r ere 
taught and revered by all classes, from the great- 
est to the smallest, as the most sacred and divine 
communications to man. Tribes, parties, sects 
and communities, arose and flourished under both 
the former and the latter dispensation, of whose 
personal and denominational interests, the uncor- 
rupted Scriptures were esteemed the only impreg- 
nable defence. They were the guardian of the 
rights and privileges of magistrates and subjects, 
of priests and people ; and by a mutual jealousy 
every man watched his brother. Ephraim envied 
Judah, and Judah guarded Ephraim. The Chris- 
tian dared not add a line, and the Jew dared not 



me. The Orthodox stood ready to rc- 

; and the 
lie was eqr r prepared to thi 

nance 
upon : hi like manner, har- 

itude. 
r man, 

! 

: 

ry records 

yf God and 
: 

in man. 

iraes of every grade 
and of every description. They tell us of the 

the divine 
id with wh 

1 :> insert a line ; 

ype account 

Thirdly. If, on 

nee that fct corrupted : 

the universal a 

Ing is of comparatively modern date. Pre- 

b century, the multiplication or' 

- depended alone upon die tardy and laborious 

i of the eopvist and the transcriber. That 



THE CATECHETICAL* irCSTEUCTOE. 39 

•. Tiide r such circumstances, the copies of the Scrip- 
tures should have multiplied less rapidly, and been 
less accordant with each other than in our times, 
is what might have been naturally expected. Ne- 
vertheless, there was a zeal to disseminate the 
word of life, manifested among those who feared 
God,' which demands the admiration of the world. 
The sacred volume under we n$»various translations, 
vuid still more frequent transcriptions in d liferent 
countries, into different languages, and in differ- 
ent ages. Of ^tliose manuscripts, not less than 
eleven hundred copies of the Old Testament, and 
nearly four hundred of the New, have already 
been collected snd carefully compared : and, what 
is passing astonishment, such is their uniform and 
striking agreement, that the most laborious colla- 
tions, embracing, in some instances, not less than 
one hundred and fifty thousand different readings, 
afford scarcely an opportunity to correct our re- 
ceived text in a solitary ^Unimportant passage. 
wt All the omissions (occasioned by carelessness, 
accident, -or otherwise) put together, could not 
countenance the omission of one essential doc- 
trine of the gospel, relating to either faith or mo- 
rals ; and all the additions, countenanced by the 
whole mass of manuscripts already collated, do not 
introduce a single point essential to faith or man- 
ners, beyond what may be found in our admitted 
Scriptures." " This general conformity of the 
manuscripts of the Old and New Testament, re- 
spectively, which are scattered through all the 
known world; and in so great a variety of lahgua* 



40 THE .CATECHETICAL INSTRUCROR. 

ges, is truly wonderful ; and demonstrates the 
veneration in which the Scriptures have been 
uniformly held, and the extraordinary care which 
was taken in transcribing them : and so far are 
the various readings contained in these manu- 
scripts from being hostile to the uncorrupted pre- 
servation of the sacred oracles, that they afford 
us additional and most convincing proof, that they 
exist at present, in all essential points, precisely 
the same as when they left the hands of their au- 
thors." " I have written unto thee excellent 
things in counsel and knowledge, that I might 
make thee know the certainty of the words ef 
truth." 



LESSON IV. 

THE SACRED SCRIPTURES THEIR EXCELLENCY 

AND study; 

Question. For what did you say the Scrip- 
tures are profitable ? 

Answer. The Scriptures are profitable for doc- 
trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
righteousness, 2 Tim. iii. 16. 

Q. To what standard should we refer all our 
opinions and practices 1 



t&E CJAT'ECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 41 

A. To the law and to the testimony; if they 
speak not according to this word, it is because 
there is no light in them. Isaiah viii. 20. Jer. 
xxiii. 28. 

Q. Can we serve God acceptably in an un- 
scriptural manner ? 

A. No. God says, In vain do ye worship me ; 
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 
Mat. xv. 9. Col. ii. 8. Tit. i. 13, 14. 

Q. How should we 5 therefore, receive the word 
of God ? 

A. We should give the more earnest heed to 
the things which we have heard, lest at any time 
we should let them slip. Heb. ii, 1. Luke viii. 18 . 

Q, For what were the Berseans particularly 
commended 1 

A. These were more noble than those in iSies- 
saionica, in that they received the word with all 
readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures 
daily whether these things were so. Acts xvii. 
11, 2 Thes. ii. 10, 11. 1 Peter ii. 1, 2. 

Q. What did Moses command the Jews with 
regard to the law ? 

A. Moses said, These words which I command 
thee this day shall be in thine heart; and thou 
ehalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and 



42 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

shalt talk of tliem when thou sittest in thine house, 
and when thou walkest by the way, and when 
thou liest down and when thou risest up. Deut. 
vi. 6, 7, ibn xi. 18, 19. 

Q. Did the apostle give a similar command to 
the Christian Church? 

A. Yes. He said, Let the word of Christ 
dwell in you richly in all wisdom— teaching and 
admonishing one another. Coh iii. 16. 

Q. When we hear or read the word of God, 
should there not be in our heart a disposition to 
do what it says ? 

A. Yes. If any man wish to do his will, he 
shall know the doctrine. John vii. 17. Hos. vi. 8. 

Q. What is said of that man who shall do what 
God's word commands ? 

A. Whoso looketh into the perfect law of lib- 
erty and continueth therein, he being not a forget- 
ful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall 
be blessed in his deed. James i. 25. Ps, xix. 
11. Mat. vii. 24-27. James ii. 21-26. 
REMARKS. 

First. The Scriptures are our only rule of 
faith and practice. The opinions of men, how- 
ever expressed, in sermons, creeds, confessions, 
or commentaries, are worth nothing, only in so 
far as they strictly conform to, and are supported 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 43 

by the word of God. The same is true of our 
private thoughts, feelings and customs. It is not 
enough to say, " I think so," or " I feel like it," 
or " It is customary," unless our thoughts, feelings 
and customs, have the sanction of the sacred ora- 
cles. " To the law and to the testimony ; if they 
speak not according to this word, it is because 
there is no light in them." "The prophet that 
hath a dream, let him tell it as a dream ; and he that 
hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. 
What is the chaff beside the wheat ?" saith the 
Lord. | Isaiah viii. 20. Jeremiah xxiii. 28. 

Secondly. Ignorance of the Scriptures is the 
greatest source of religious errors. It is not suf- 
ficient that men are learned in worldly wisdom. 
The kingdom of God is not the same in its nature, 
principles and government, with the kingdoms of 
this world. The laws and purposes of the divine 
government must be studied in the Scriptures 
mainly. "Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures, 
nor the power of God." " O Lord, thou through 
thy commandments, hast made me wiser than mine 
enemies; for they are ever with me. I have 
more understanding than ail my teachers ; for 
thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand 
more than the ancients ; because I keep thy pre- 
cepts. Mathew xxii. 29. Psalms cxix, 98—100. 

Thirdly. The best method of interpreting 
Scripture, is by the Scriptures themselves. Study 
their scope and design, the characters to whom 
they are addressed, and the objects they contem- 
plate, and then harmonize all their parts, so as to 



44 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

preserve a "unity " in the faith, and a proportion 
in the faith. " Having gifts differing, whether 
prophecy, let us prophesy according to the propor- 
tion of the faith." "If any man speak, let him 
speak as the oracles of God." "Which things 
also we speak, not in the words which man's 
wisdom teacheth ; but which the Holy Ghost 
teacheth, comparing, spiritual things with spiritu- 
al. Romans xii. 6. 1 Peter iv. 11. 1 Cor. ii. 13. 
Fourthly. There are portions of the sacred 
Scriptures ichich require a particularly high de- 
gree of religious cultivation and spirituality of 
mind to rightly understand. "Account, that the 
long suffering of God is salvation ; even as our be- 
loved brother Paul, according to the wisdom giv- 
en unto him hath written unto you, as also, in ail 
his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in 
which some things are hard to be understood; 
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, 
as they do also the other Scriptures, to their own 
destruction." " For when for a time ye ought 
to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you 
again, which be the first principles of the oracles 
of God ; and are become such as have need of 
milk and not of strong meat. For every one that 
useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteous- 
ness, for he is a babe. But strong meat belong- 
eth to them that are of full age, even those who 
by reason of use have their senses exercised to 
discern both good and evil." For the natural 
man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God ; 
for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 45 

he know them ; because they are spiritually dis- 
cerned. But the spiritual judgeth all things." 
2 Peter iii. 15, 16. Hebrews v. 12, 14. 1 Cor. 
ii. 14, 15, ib. iii. 1, 2. 



LESSON V: 

GO© A SPIRIT. 

Question. What do the Scriptures teach us 
that God is ? 

Answer. God is a spirit ; and they that wor- 
ship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth. 
John iv. 24. Proverbs xxiii. 26. Mathew xxii. 
37. Romans i. 9. 2 Cor. iii. 17. Phil. iii. 3. 

Q. Hath a spirit flesh and bones, which we 
may see and handle, as man hath ? 

A. No. A spirit hath not flesh and bones. 
Luke xxiv. 39. 

Q. Is not God in every place ? 

A. Yes. The eyes of the Lord are in every 
place, beholding the evil and the good. Proverbs 
xv. 3. Job xxxiv. 21. Prov, v. 21. Jeremiah 
xxxii. 19. Hebrews iv. IBo 



4D THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Q. Does not God hear every word that men 
speak ? 

A. Yes there is not a word in my tongue, but 
lo ! O Lord, thou knowest il altogether. Psalms 
exxxix. 4. Mathew xii. 36, 37. 

Q, Is there any thing in man which God does 
not know ? 

A. No, He needeth not that any should testi- 
fy of man, for he knoweth what is in man. John 
ii. 25. Ps. lxliv. 11.. Jer. xii. 3. 1 Cor. iii. 20. 

Q,. Hath any man ever seen the shape of God ? 

A. No. No man hath seen God's shape at 
any time. John i. 18, ib. v. 37. 1 Tim. vi. 16.- 

Q. When God came down upon Mount Sinai 
and gave his law to the Jews, did they not se& 
something that resembled him? 

A. No. The Lord spake unto them out of the 
midst of the fire : they heard the voice of the 
words, but they saw no similitude. Deuteronomy 
iv. 12-15. 

Q. Is there, really, any thing in Heaven, or in 
Earth, that can be likened or compared to God? 

A. No. There is none like unto thee, O Lord, 
neither are there any works like unto thy works. 
Psalms lxxxvi, 8, i&, exxxix. 6, Isaiah xl. 18, ib. 
d.vi,. % 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 47 

(Jt. Since, then, God is in every place — hearing 
the words and knowing the thoughts of all men ; 
and since no man has ever seen God, or any thing 
like him, or that may be compared unto him, must 
he not be an infinite spirit 1 

A. Yes. God is an infinite spirit. 

REMARKS, 

First. We should distinguish between the di- 
vine essence of the Godhead, and the symbols or 
appearances, in which, God for special purposes, 
and on special occasions, manifested himself to 
men. In Exodus xxxiii. 20, when Moses desired 
to behold the divine "glory," God said unto him, 
" thou canst not see my face : for there shall no 
man see me and live :" and yet in Genesis xxxiL 
30, it is said that Jacob " saw God face to face." 
The former expression alludes to the glory of the 
divine essence, which the corporeal senses of 
mortals are incapable of apprehending : the lat- 
ter, to that human body which he was pleased to 
assume, for a special occasion, and for a special 
purpose. The truth is, this latter passage, care- 
fully compared with other portions of the sacred 
volume, (Genesis xxviii. 15, ib. xlviii. 16. Ex. 
xxiii 20, ib. xxxiii. 14, Isaiah lxiii. 9. Hosea 
xii. 4.* Malachi iii. 1) will be seen to relate to 
the second person of the trinity — who was, under 
the old dispensation, variously styled, "God," "an 
angel," "the angel of the presence," "the mes 
senger of the covenant," &c. ? and not the father^ 



4$ THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

or first person of the Godhead — of whom we ordi- 
narily speak, when we say, that " God is a spirit." 

Similar observations to those above, apply to 
Isaiah vi. 1-5, John xiv. 9, and every passage 
wherein men are said to have seen God. In such 
expressions, nothing more is meant, than that, by 
some symbol, (not similitude) form, or other ex- 
pression, the divine perfections are, or were ex- 
hibited, God is a spirit, whose essence is invisi- 
ble, and intangible, by mortal senses. 

Secondly. We shall hereafter remark, thai 
angels are also spirits : hut a striking difference 
must he observed between angelic spirits, and God, 
Angels are created spirits ; God is an uncreated 
spirit. Angels are finite spirits ; God is an infi- 
nite spirit. Angels are dependent spirits — depen- 
dent for their existence and happiness upon God* 
who is an independent spirit. 

Thirdly. If God is an uncreated and infinite 
spirit, he does not depend upon any creature for 
happiness or glory : neither can he be injured by 
any malice or wickedness they may practice* 
" God is not worshipped with men's hands, as 
though he needed any thing : seeing he giveth to 
all life, and breath and all things." Can a man 
be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be 
profitable unto himself?" Look unto the Heavens* 
and see : and behold the clouds, which are high- 
er than thou. If thou sinnest, what dost thou 
against him? or if thy transgressions be multipli- 
ed, what dost thou unto him ? If thou be right- 
eous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 49 

he of thine hand ? Thy wickedness may hurt a 
man, as thou art :* and thy righteousness may profit 
the son of man." " O my soul, thou hast said unto 
the Lord, 'Thou art my God; my goodness ex- 
tendeth not to thee, but to the saints that are in 
the earth ; and to the excellent in whom is all my 
delight." "If thou he wise, thou shalt be wise 
for thyself; if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear 
it." Acts xvii. 25. Job xxii. 2, ib. xxxv. 5-8. 
Psalms xvi. .2, 3. Proverbs ix. 12. 

Fourthly. If God is an invisible and infinite 
spirit, how vain and .how .wicked it must be, to at- 
tempt to make any image, or resemblance to him ! 
Not even should we attempt to form an image, or 
shape, or appearance, in our minds to compare it 
unto him, '" To whom will ye liken that God," 
whom no man hath seen ? " or what likeness will 
ye compare .unto him j" "Take ye, therefore, 
good heed unto yourselves, lest ye corrupt your- 
selves, and make you a graven image, the simili- 
tude of any figure — the likeness of male or fe- 
male—the likeness of any beast that is on the 
earth — the likeness of any winged foul that fiieth 
in the air — the likeness of any thing that creep- 
eth on the ground — the likeness of any fish that 
is in the water beneath the earth: and lest, when 
thou lift up thine eyes unto Heaven, and when 
thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, 
even all the hosts of Heaven, thou should st be 
driven to worship them, and serve them which 
the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations 
under the whole Heaven." Isaiah xl. 18. Deut. 
iv. 15-19.. 



LESSON VI. 

GOD THE UNITY OF. 

Question. How many Gods are there 1 

Answer. There is one God. Mark xii. 32. 
Deuteronomy vi. 4. 1 Corinthians vii. 4-6. 

Q. Is there not also another besides that one? 

A. No. The Lord, he is God : there is none 
else besides him. Deuteronomy iv. 35, Isaiah 
xlv. 21. 1 Samuel ii. 2. 

Q. Is there not something that may be likened 
or compared unto God ? 

A. No. There is none like unto the Lord our 
God. Exodus viii. 10. 1 Chronicles xvii. 20. 
Isaiah xlvi. 5. 

Q. Is the same God in Heaven, which we wor- 
ship on earth ? 

A. Yes. The Lord, he is God in Heaven 
above, and upon the earth beneath : there is none 
else. Deut. iv, 39, Ps. cxxxv. 6. Dan. iv. 35. 

Q. If, then, there is but one true God, what are 
all the gods of the Heathen ? 

A. All the gods of the nations are idols. Ps. 
lxl vi. 5. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 



51 



Q. What is an idol ? 

A, The idols of the Heathen are silver and 
gold and other things, the work of men's hands 
set up to be worshipped, Ps. cxxxv. 15. Isaiah 
xl. 19, 20, ib. xlvi. 6. Jeremiah x, 2-5. 

Q. Does not God forbid the worship of idols ? 

A. Yes. Ye shall make you no idols, nor gra- 
ven image, neither rear you up a standing image, 
neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your 
land to bow down to it. Lev. xxvi, 1. Ex. xx. 
4, 5. Acts xiv. 15, ib. xv. 20," 2 Cor. vi. 16. 

Q. What will be the consequence if we wor- 
ship idols ? 

A. If thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, 
and walk after other gods, and serve them, and 
worship them, I testify against you, that ye shall 
surely perish. Deuteronomy viii. 19, ib. xxvii. 
15. Psalms lxlviL 7. 

Q. Whom, then, should men worship ? 

A. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
him only shalt thou serve. Mat. iv. 10. Deut. 
vi. 13. Isaiah viii. 13, 14. I Thessalonians i. 9. 
REMARKS, 

First. In the present lesson, we refer, not to 
a unity of the persons of the Godhead ; but to the 
unity of the divine nature or essence. The He- 
brew word, Elokim, translated God, in our English 



52 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Bibles, is confessedly plural in its form; and is 
used indifferently in connexion, with verbs, ad- 
jectives, and pronouns, either in the singular or 
plural number. Hence, it has been justly remark- 
ed, that the word, God, may denote, either, the 
plurality of divine perso?is ; or the unity of the 
divine essence of the Godhead. It will be seen 
hereafter, that the works of creation are. ascribed 
equally to three divine persons, called in the ori- 
ginal of Ecclesiastes xii. 1, "creators;" but, 
in Genesis i. 1, where it is said, "In the begin- 
ning God created the Heavens and the Earth," 
the plural noun Elohi/n, being used with a singu- 
lar verb (bara — created) points out, and not ob- 
scurely, that these three persons enter essentially 
into one God — by whom all things were made. 

Secondly, The unity of design and agency, 
in creation and providence, is additional evidence, 
that there is but one God. " So far as we are able 
to understand the works of creation and provi- 
dence, we discern a general simplicity and har- 
% in the nature and operations of all things. 
Amid the immense complication that surrounds 
us, we perceive one set of laws, in accordance 
with which ail things proceed in their course. 
The same causes produce the same effects in ev- 
ery place, and in every age. The same vegeta- 
bles universally spring from the same seeds, ger- 
minate by the same means, assume the same form, 
sustain the same qualities, exist through the same 
duration, and come to the same end. Animals 
are born in one manner, exhibit the same life. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 53 

powers and tendencies. Man has one origin, 
system of faculties, character and termination. 
All things in the world are in one regular man- 
ner, made subservient to his use and happiness : 
and are plainly fitted by one design and conduct- 
ed by one agency to this end. Thus, every thing 
so far as our knowledge extends, presents to our 
view, but a single design, regularly executed by 
a a single agency. This unity of design is proof 
that there is but one designer ; and the unity of 
this agency, proves that there is but one great 
agent, namely, God." 

Thirdly. The unity of the true God, excludes 
every other god — every other object of religious 
worship. The history of religion among ail hea- 
then nations, has ever been the history of " gods 
many and lords many." The ancient Persians 
had twelve principal deities ; beside a great num- 
ber of inferior ones. The Greeks Worshipped 
thirty thousand gods. The Egyptians had an 
hundred and fifty thousand : and in the emphatic 
language of a celebrated historian, " the Roman 
empire was a republic of gods. The Romans 
importing to their temples all the deities of the 
nations whom they conquered, they became liter- 
ally without number. These gods, however, were 
idols ; the workman-ship of their own hands;. 
44 They had mouths, but they spake not; eyes 
had they, but they saw not; they had ears, but 
they heard not ; neither was there any breath in 
their mouth. They that made them, were like 
unto them — foolish: so every one that trusteth in 



54 THE CATECHETICAL IXSTRITCTO 



• 



them/' To us. there is but one God, the Father, 
and we in him : and one Lord Jesus Christ, and 
We by him." Psalms cxxxv. 15-1$. 1 Corin- 
thians viii. 4-6. 

Fourthly/. If there is but one G d. there can 
be but one true Religion. Divers religions are 
not less false than divers sods. '• One Lord, one 
faith," is a doctrine as clearly taught by reason 
as by revelation. To suppose that every sort of 
religion is equally acceptable to God, is of the 
same species of absurdity, as if we should say, 
that "God can deny himself,'' We should pre- 
serve the unity of the faith with as much zeal, as 
we do the unity of the Godhead. The two are 
inseparable : and he that denies the one, will 
soon deny the other. He that says 4i God is not 
one and the same in every place,*' is an atheist : 
and he that says, " Religion is not the same in ail 
times and places/' is an infidel. Both are false, 
and alike dangerous to the honor of God, and the 
eternal well-being of the soul. 



LESS OX VII. 

GOD THE ETERXITY OF. 

Question, Was there ever a period when God 
did not exist ? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 55 

A. No. Before the mountains were brought 
forth, or ever thou, Lord, hadst formed the earth 
and the world, even from everlasting to everlast- 
ing thou art God. Psalms lxl. 2, ib. lxliii. 2. 
Isaiah Ixiii. 16. • 

Q. Was there any being in existence before 
the Lord? 

A. No. Thus saith the Lord, I am the first, 
and I am the last ; and beside me there is no God. 
Isaiah xliv. 6, ib. xiiii. 10. Rev, i. 8, ib. xxii. 13. 
Q. Will God ever cease to exist ? 
A, No. Thou, Lord shalt endure forever, and 
thy remembrance to all generations. Psalms cii. 
12, 27, ib. cxxxv. 13. Lam, v. 19. Job xxxvi. 26. 
Q. Is not the Lord called an everlasting king? 
A. Yes. The Lord is the true God, he is the 
living God, and an everlasting king. Jeremiah x. 
10. Psalms x. 16, ib. xlv. 6. 1 Timothy i. 17. 
Q. What is said of the duration of his king- 
dom ? 

A. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 
and his dominion is from generation to genera- 
tion. Daniel iv. 3, 34. Psalms exit. 13. 

Q. You said, that the Lord is a living God, 
"oes he depend upon any other being for his life? 
A. No. The Father hath life in himself, 
ohn v. 26. 



56 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTS. 

Q. Will God ever die and cease to be? 

A, No. God saith, I lift my hand to Heaven, 
and say, I live forever. Deuteronomy xxxii. 40. 

Q. What does God inhabit I 

A. The high and lofty one inhabiteth eternity. 
Isaiah Ivii. 15. 

REMARKS. 

First. There are three kinds of existence : 
(1) That which had a beginning, and will have 
an end : as the heavens and the earth, which were 
created only for a temporary use, jand will pass 
away with a great noise : (2) That which had a 
beginning, but will have no end ; as angels and 
men, whose nature was formed for an eternal du- 
ration : (3) That which had no beginning, and will 
have no end. Such is the divine existence. What- 
ever reason there is to prove, that God exists at 
all, will equally prove, that he has always existed 
— that he is uncaused and self-existent. If there 
ver been a period when there was no God, 
then, there never could have been a God, unless 
that which did not itself exist, could create some- 
thing else. On the contrary, that which has al-- 
ways existed, and does still exist independently of 
every thing else, must exist forever. 

Secondly. Every idea of succession must be 
excluded from the eternity of God. Time is made 
up of a succession of moments ; and however 
great may be the number of its periods, they must 
have had a beginning, and will have an end. A 



T&E CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 5 

large number of these periods constitute old age. 
and a small number is youth. It were, however, 
exceedingly incorrect and irreverent to speak of 
God as once young and now old. The divine 
existence is properly an eternal now„ "I am, 57 
(in the present tense) was the appellation by 
which he would be known thousands of years 
ago ; and it will be equally appropriate, millions 
of ages to come. Time, whether long or short, 
appertains only to creatures. The revolution of 
the seasons no more affects the duration of God. 
than does the turning of a ring approach its end. 
His mysterious and incomprehensible existence, 
atone and the same moment, (ills all the boundless 
and immeasurable depths of eternity; past, pres- 
ent, and to eome. So far is he removed from the 
admeasurements of time, that. " with him, one day 
is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as 
one day." ""The heavens shall perish, but he 
shall endure : yea all of them shall wax old as 
cloth a. garment, and as a vesture shall he change 
them and they shall be changed. But he is the 
same and his years shall have no end. 2 Peter 
ili. 8. Psalms cii. 25, 26 r- 

Thirdly. The eternity of God, renders him 
an object supremely worthy of the hopes and fears 
of all intelligent creatures. Happiness and wo 
derive their principal importance from their dura- 
tion. For this reason we forego temporary good, 
that we may obtain that which is more lasting. 
For this reason, we submit to momentary pain, 
rather than endure that which is more abiding. Bu*> 
5 



58 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

whither shall the panting spirit fly to enjoy a good 
which knows no alloy, but to the smiles of an ever- 
lasting God 1 Whither shall it seek a refuge from 
the storms and ills of mortal life, but to the bosom 
of an eternal God ? Or what evils can the soul 
endure to be compared with those which are pout- 
ed out by the hand of that being whose nature 
knows no change world without «nd ? " Consid- 
er this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pie- 
ces and there be none to deliver." Be not afraid 
of them that kill the body, and after that have no 
more that they can do. But I will forewarn you 
whom ye shall fear. Fear him, which after he 
hath killed the body, hath power to destroy both 
soul and body in hell : yea I say unto you, fear 
him. Psalms 1. 22. Luke xii. 4, 5. Mat. x. 2& 



LESSON VIII. 

GOD ffHE OMNIPOTENCE OF. 

Question* Is not the Lord a being of great 
power ? 

Answer. Yes. The Lord is wise in heart and 
mighty in strength. Job ix. 4, 19, ib. xxxvi. 5. 
Psalms lxii. 11, ib. lxliii. 1. Genesis xvii. L 
Exodus vi. 1. Revelation xix. 6. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 5£ 

Q. Toil said in the first lesson, that God made 
the heavens and the earth : by what means did 
he make all these things? 

A. The Lord made the heavens and the earth 
by his great power and his stretched out arm. 
Jer. xxxii. 17, ib. x. 12, ib. xxvii, 5. Psalms lxlv. 
5. Isaiah xl, 26. Romans i. 20. 

Q. How are the earth, and heavens, and all 
things preserved and upheld ? 

A. The Lord upholdeth all things by the word 
of his power. He I rews i. 3. Nehemiah ix. 6, 
Psalms xxxvi, 6. Colossians i. 16, 17. 

Q. Is there any creature in Heaven or on 
earth — men or angels, able to resist the great 
power of God ? 

A. No. The Lord doeth according to his will 
in the army of Heaven and among the inhabitants 
of the earth ; and none can stay his hand. Dan, 
iv. 35. Job ix. 12, ib. xi. 10,' ib. xii. 14, ib. xxxiv* 
29. Psalms cxxxv. 6. Ephesians i. 19-23. 

Q. Has not God the power to subdue all his 
enemies under his feet? 

A. Yes. The Lord is able to subdue all things 
unto himself. Philippians iii. 21. 1 Samuel iL 
9. Job ix. 4, ib. xii. 21. Ps. xxxiii. 16. Is, xlv* 
9. Mat. x. 28. James iv. 12. Rev. xx. IB, 



60 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR/- 

Q. By what means are the hearts of men ehan- 
ged, so that from unbelievers, they become belie- 
vers ? 

A, Plan's heart is in the hands of the Lord, as 
the rivers of water ; he turneth it whithersoevci 
he will. Their faith stands, not in the wisdom of 
men, but in the power of God. Proverbs xxi. 1. 

1 Cor. ii. 5. Ps. ex. 3. Jer. xiii. 23, ib. xxxi, 
18. Lam. v. 21. Acts xviii 27. 1 Cor. iii. 5-7. 

2 Cor. iv. 7. Eph. ii. 8-10. Philippians i. 29, 
ib, ii. 12, 13, 2 Thes. i. 11. Hebrews xii. 2. 

Q. Is not the Lord as able to preserve his peo- 
ple in faith unto the end of life, as he is to give 
them faith at the first ? 

A. Yes. I know whom I have believed, and 
am persuaded that he is able to keep that which 
I have committed unto him against that day. 2 
Tim. i. 12. Ps. exxxviii. 8. Is. liv. 17. John 
x. 23, 29. Romans viii. 35-9. 1 Cor. x. 13. 
Phil. i. 6. 1 Peter i. v. Jude xxiv. 

Q, It is an evidence of our weakness, that, 
when we carry a heavy burden for a long time, 
we become very tired : does God, in like manner, 
become weary with upholding all things, and pre- 
serving and protecting his people ? 

A.. No. The everlasting. God, the Lord, the - 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, "6 1 

Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, nei- 
ther is weary. Is. xl. 28, 15, 17. Ps. cxxi. 3-5. 

Q. If, then, God made and upholds all things, 
without becoming weary, and if there is no power 
in "Heaven or earth that can resist his hand, if he 
changes the hearts of his people, and is able to 
subdue the wrath of his enemies, is there any 
thing which he can not do ? 

A. No. I know, O Lord, that thou canst do 
every thing, and that no thought can be with-hol- 
den from thee. Job xlii. 2. Genesis xviii. 14. 
Mat. xix. 26. Luke i. 37, ib. xviii. 27. Rom. 
iv. 21. Ephesians iii. 20. 

REMARKS. 

First. The divine power is of three kinds, 
which we will call moral, physical, and constitu- 
tional : (1) It is moral: This consists in his ca- 
pacity to will, to choose, to love, to prefer one ob- 
ject above another. (2) It is physical: This 
consists in his capacity to bring to pass events 
and existences in accordance with his. will; or 
to prevent the existence of such events or occur- 
rences as are opposed to his will. (3) It is con- 
stitutional. This is nothing more than his au- 
thority or right to do whatsoever pleaseth him- — 
to do whatsoever he wills or chooses. To deny 
either of these to the deity, were to degrade him 
from the pre-eminence of his true character, as GccL 



O^ THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Secondly. The divine power is supreme : that 
is, it is underived, uncontrolled, and independent, , 
Men and angels are under the authority of ano- 
ther, viz. God: and receive all their capacity "to* 
will and to do," both in natural and divine things,, 
from him. It is not thus, however, with the Dfcity* 
There is no will back of his to prompt him — no 
authority above his to control him — -no power in 
the face of his to resist him* If we inquire for 
the authority under which he acts, it will be found 
only in himself. If we ask for the origin of his 
will, it is found in himself alone. If we look for 
the source of his almighty energy, we shall find 
it only in himself. He is the fountain-head, be- 
yond which there is nothing, and aside from which 
there is nothing, 

Thirdly. The divine power is competent to all 
things which do not imply a contradiction. When 
it is said, " It is impossible for God to lie," or 
" God can not deny himself," or " God can not 
look upon sin ;" let us not understand any deficien- 
cy in the divine capacity or authority to perform 
these several acts ; but, that God will do the con- 
trary. The difficulty in these cases, lies not in 
the insufficiency of God : but in the nature of the 
subjects. They imply a palpable contradiction, 
the same as if we were to say, a thing is, and is 
not, at the same moment. The divine authority, 
will, and energy, are as absolute, manifest, and 
perfect, in not doing such things, as they could 
possibly be in performing them. The only differ- 
ence is, that they are wholly turned in an opposite 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. O^ 

direction. Such phrases import nothing more, 
than that God will not lie — will not deny himself 
— will not approve sin — that the inclinations of 
his will are turned with infinite intensity to the 
contrary of such conduct. 



LESSON IX. 

GOD THE OMNIPRESENCE OF. 

Question. Is the presence of God confined to 
■any one place on earth ? 

Answer. No. God, that made the world and 
all things therein, seeing he is Lord of Heaven 
and earth, dwelieth not in temples made with 
hands. Acts xvii. 24, ib* vii. 48-50. 2 Chron- 
icles vi. 18. 

Q. Where then is God ? 

A. God is in every place. If I ascend up into 
Heaven, he is there : if I make my bed in hell, 
behold! he is there. Psalms cxxxix. 8. Isaiah 
3xvi. 1. Amos ix. 2. Job xxvi. 6, Pro. xv. 11. 

Q. Does not God behold the ways of all men? 

A, Yes. The ways of man are before the 
eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his go- 
ings. Proverbs v. 21. 2 Chronicles xvi. 9, 
Job xxxi 4, ih* xxxiv. 21* Jeremiah xxxiul&^ 



•<M THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Q. Doth not God see and approve those that 
worship him in every place ? 

A. Yes. The eyes of the Lord are upon the 
righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 
Psalms xxxiv. 15. Mathevv vi. 6, ib. 18, 19, 20. 
1 Peter iii. 12. 

Q. Is there any place where the wicked may 
hide themselves from God 1 

A. No. There is no darkness nor shadow of 
death, where the workers of -iniquity may hide 
themselves from the Lord, Job xxxiv. 22, Ps. 
cxxxix. 9-12. Jeremiah xxiii. 24. Amos ix. 3. 

Q, Is not the life and happiness of all things 
dependent upon the presence and power of God % 

A. Yes. For in him we live and move and 
have our being. Acts xvii, 28. Psalms xxxL 
15, ib. xxxviL 23, 24. -Col. i. 17. Heb. L 3. 

Q. Who feeds all the beasts of the field., the 
birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea ? 

A. The eyes of all wait upon the Lord, and he 
giveth them their meat in due season. He open- 
eth his hand and satisfieth the desire of every 
living thing. Psalms cxlv. 15, 16, ib. civ. 25^28. 
ib. cxlvii, 9. Mathew vi. 26. 

Q. Who makes all the grass to grow upon a 
thousand hills — paints all the beautiful flowers of 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. t>5 

4-he valleys, and spreads all the trees of the for- 
ests, so necessary to the comfort and happiness 
of man and beast ? 

A. God causeth the grass to grow for cattle, 
and herb for the service of man. Psalms civ. 14, 
ib. cxivii. 8, 9. Deut xi. 15. Mathew vi. 30. 

Q. If, then, God sees the ways of .all men, and 
if he feeds every living thing with his own hand, 
and if he makes every tree, and flower, and grass 
to grow in its place ; must he not be every where 
at the same time ? 

A. Yes. Thus saith the Lord, I fill Heaven 
and earth. Jeremiah xxiii. 24. Isaiah Ivii. 15. 

REMARKS. 
The phrase, " the presence of the Lord," is 
taken in both a literal and figurative sense, 
When, for example, it is said, "The presence of 
the Lord is in every place," it must be understood 
literally, to import, that there is no place where 
God is not. 4 But when it is said, that "Cain 
went out from the presence of the Lord, and 
dwelt in the land of Nod;" (Genesis iv. 16) or 
that " The wicked shall be punished with ever- 
lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord; 7 ' 
(2 Thessatonians i. 9) it is, clearly, used in a figu- 
rative manner. The divine presence was not less 
absolute in the land of Nod, than in the garden 
of Eden; and it will be as manifest in Hell, as 
in Heaven. In the latter, the milder exhibitions 



Cu THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOK* 

ef his grace will enkindle the joys of the redeem- 
od : while, in the former, the severity of his jus- 
tice will inflict the eternal torments of the damn- 
ed. Hence — - 

Fiiv-t. The divine presence may be manifest- 
ed in different places at the same time : or in the 
?ame different times ; or in the same 

place at the same time, for different purposes. 

(1) In different places, at the same time, for dif- 
ferent purposes: as in Heaven to bless, or in 

Hell I — in the world to deliver the godly 

out of temptation, or to ensnare the wicked in 
their own net — to clothe the lilies of the field, or 
to feed t; ravens when they cry. 

(2) In the same place at different times, for dif- 
ferent '^ here it once promoted and 

prospered individuals, families and nations, there 
it may afterwards cast down and destroy nations, 
families and individuals. The Heathen, for gen- 
erations, suffered to perish in their blindness, are 
now beholding the light of the gospel : and M they, 
who being often reproved, hardeneth their neck,- 
shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without re- 
medy.'* 

(3) In the same place at the same time, for dif- 
ferent purposes. The same rays of the sun dis- 
cover the beauties and deformities of nature — 
harden the clay and soften the wax. Thus, the 
same afflictions of Providence wean us from the 
world, promote our holiness, and better fit us for 
Heaven and happiness. God takes away our 
child. The act, at once, reproves our inordinate 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTUCTORR. 6T 

fondness for the creature above the Creator, and 
removes the tender object to a more genial clime. 
Secondly, Be admonished, therefore, neither 
to repine at the divine providence ; nor yet attribute 
such events to chance, as are not distinctly under- 
stood. Accident and chance are nothing. Nor 
can the simple laws of nature — as some are wont 
to call the providence of God — effect any thing, 
good or evil, of themselves, any more than can 
the laws of the land reward virtue or punish vice, 
without the hand of the magistrate. Things may 
fall out strangely in the world, and sometimes do : 
but how much better is it to believe that they 
are all in the hand of an infinitely wise, holy and 
benevolent being, whose omnipresence will con- 
duct them to the wisest and best of ends, than to 
ascribe them to the freaks of a blind and sense- 
less chance, or to the stern decrees of a cold and 
heartless law! God, the omnipresent God, is the 
sole pervading agent of the universe — the great, 
moving cause of all the wheels and springs of 
existence : and no event, however great or small,- 
can take place without him. He numbers every 
hair of our head — watches every sparrow that 
falls to the ground, and will make all things work 
together for good to them that loye him. Rom*, 
riii. 28. 



LESSON X. 

-GOD— THE OMNISCIENCE OF. 

Question. You said in the last lession, that 
God is every where present at the same time : is 
he not then a being of perfect knowledge ? 

A. Yes. The Lord is a God of knowledge — 
he is perfect in knowledge. 1 Sam. ii. 3. Job 
xxxvi. iv., ib. xxxvii. 16. Psalms cxlvii. 5. Is. 
xl. 28. Romans xi. 32. 

Q. Was the knowledge of God obtained from 
any other being ? 

A. No. None hath directed the spirit of the 
Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him. 
Isaiah xl. 13, 14. Job xxi 22. Psalms lxliv. 
9, 10. Romans xi. 34. 1 Corinthians ii. 10. 

Q. Does God's knowledge extend to all things ? 

A. Yes. Known unto the Lord are all his 
works from the beginning of the world. Acts, 
xv. 18. Job. xxvii. 24. Heb. iv. 13. i John 
iii. 20. 

Q. Does God know when and where every 
man will be born — how long he will live, and 
when and how he will die ? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOK. 60 

A. Yes. God hath made of one blood all na- 
tions of men to dwell on the face of the earth, 
and hath determined the times before appointed, 
and the bounds of their habitations. Acts xvii. 
26. Job vii. 1, ib. xiv. 15 r 16. Psalms xxxix. 
4, ib* cxix. 84. 

Q. Men have a^ great deal of knowledge, did 
not God givfc it to them ? 

A. Yes: God teacheth us more than the beasts 
of die earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls 
of Heaven: Job xxxv: 11, ib. xxxii: 8: Exodus 
xxxi: 25: 1 Kings iv: 29, ib. vii: 14: Proverbs 
it: 6: Daniel i: 17: James i: 5. 

Q. There is a jj-reat deal of pride and hypocri- 
sy, wickedness and blasphemy, in the world ; arc 
all these things known unto God ? 

A. Yes: The Lord saith, I know their mani- 
fold transgressions, and their mighty wickedness 
Amos v: 12: Genesis vi: 5: Psalms xiv: 2, 'i. 
ib: cxxxvii: 6: Revelation ii: 9. 

Q. Does God also know the toils and wants, 
the afflictions and wrongs, which his people suffer 2 

A. "Yes: Thus saith the Lord, I know thy 
works, and tribulation and poverty. Revelation 
ii: 9: Genesis xxxi: 42: Exodus iii. 7: 2 Sam- 
uel xvi: 12: Mathew vi: 8: Acts vii: 34. 



^U THE CATECHETICAL HVSTRUCTOB* 

Q. Does not God know all the thoughts, purpo- 
ses and intentions of men's hearts, even before 
they are acted out ? 

A. Yes : The Lord searcheth all hearts, and 
understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. 
1 Chronicles xxviii: 9: Genesis xviii: 19: Deut: 
xxxi: 21: 2 Kings xix: 27: Psalms i: vi, ib* 
cxxxix: 2, 3: Isaiah xlviii: 8: Ezekiel xi: 5: 
Nahum i: 7: 1 Corinthians viii: 3. 

Q. You said, above, that God knew all his 
works from the beginning of the world : has he 
not actually foretold many of the most important 
events that occur in the world I 

A. Yes : God saith, I am the Lord, and there 
"is none like me, declaring the end from the be- 
ginning. Isaiah xlvi: 9, 10: Acts ii. 23: Gal: 
iii: 8: 1 Peter i: 2. 

Q. Is not the plan of redemption by Jesu* 
Christ a most striking display of the wisdom and 
knowledge of God ? 

A. Yes : In Christ are hid all the treasures of 
wisdom and knowledge; and by him God hath 
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. 
Colossians ii: 3: Ephesians i: 8, ib. iii: 8-11* 
1 Corinthians i: xxiti; 24, ib. ii: 6-10. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 71" 

REMARKS. 

First. The divine knowledge is real and abso- 
lute. Whatever God knows to have existed in 
times past, or to exist at present, or certain to ex- 
ist in future, he knows in such a sense and man- 
ner, as to preclude every possibility of doubt. 
No possible supposition can be raised to render 
questionable the reality of those occurrences, 
which he knows have already taken place, and 
in the precise same manner in which he saw 
them come to pass : nor can any possible contin- 
gency or accident arise, to frustrate the occur- 
rence of those events which he foresees will take 
place hereafter. To say that God foreknows an 
event will occur, and yet, that some accident may 
prevent its occurrence, were a palpable contradic- 
tion in terms. There is. therefore, either no fore- 
knowledge with God— and all those Scriptures 
are false which directly and indirectly assert it, 
or else the events of existence are absolutely cer- 
tain to occur, as they were foreseen. 

Secondly. The divine knowledge extends both 
to positive and negative existences: that is, both 
to those things which have existed, and ''may -ex- 
ist ; and to those which do not, and can not exist, 
That it embraces all things that do or may exist, 
is beyond a question : nor is it less certain that 
God knows what does not and can not exist. 
When, for example, God says, in Isaiah xliv: 8 f 
"there is no other God besides me; I know not 
any other ;" we are not to imagine that he was 
ignorant, as to whether there was or was not aii- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

other : but, that he knew assuredly, there was 
not another. In like manner, when we say- — 
'•God cannot know that a lie is the truth," or 
that " things equal in themselves are unequal to 
each other;" we would not imply any ignorance 
in the divine mind on such subjects ; but that he 
does in the most absolute and perfect sense know 
that a lie is not the truth ;" and that, " things une- 
qual to each other, are not equal in themselves." 
Bis knowledge is as real, and as perfect, with 
regard to negative things, as with regard to those 
that do or may exist. He knows with as much 
infallibility what does not, and can not exist, as 
he does what has occurred, or may come to pass. 
To say, therefore, " that there are some things 
which God does know, and some things which 
he does not know," were false, and tends greatly 
to degrade the divine character. 

Thirdly. The divine knowledge is in a strict 
sense universal and particular. Every possible 
existence in the universe, with all the ends which 
it is to answer, and the means by which it is to 
be brought about and accomplish its purpose, is 
at once before his all-pervading eye. If a blade 
of grass is to grow, or a young raven to be fed — 
if an empire is to rise or a sparrow fall — if an 
Adam is to sin, or a Savior bleed — if a world is 
to be created, or a world to be judged, all the pur- 
poses for which the event is to take place, and 
the means necessary to effect it, with the tea 
thousand times ten thousand influences, which 
^hall be indirectly exerted by those means, a <-- 



^HE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. >8 

they move on to fulfil their ultimate design, 
are, at one and the same moment, under the cog- 
nizance of his omniscient and searching observa- 
tion. The how he will deliver the godly out of 
temptation ; and the how he will reserve the un- 
just unto the day of judgment to be punished, are 
as much a part of his knowledge, as that he will 
at all deliver the one and reserve the other, 
Hence the same infallible certainty attends every 
occurrence, great or small, immediate or remote, 
now or in future. God will no more be surprised 
by the happening of an unforeseen event millions 
of ages to come, than he will be, with the actual 
occurrence of his primary design, in the creation 
and preservation of the world. 

Fourthly. The dwme knowledge of the cer- 
tainty of future events is based upon the divine 
purpose, God purposed the events of existence ; 
and, therefore, knows they will take place. If 
this be not true, then those events come to pass 
either by accident, or by a simple permission. 
That they do not take place by accident, is appa- 
rent from two considerations. (1) Many of them 
(*a sufficient number to embrace all the rest, as 
means) are foretold ; which is opposed to the idea 
of accident. (2) Accident, in fact, is nothing — ■ 
and can accomplish nothing. It is neither cause 
nor effect Nor yet do the events of this world 
take place by a bare permission ; because, per- 
mission is not so much a real cause of any thing, 
as it is the absence, or negative of all cause* 
Furthermore, if God simply permitted the events 



74 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 

of existence to occur, then, either he saw that 
they would be for the best— all things considered 
— or he did not. If he did not, then he has per- 
mitted events to take place which he knew would 
not be for the best- — which were absurd to sup- 
pose. If he did, then, it is certain that the exis- 
tence of such events form a part of the highest 
good to the universe, and it were absurd to sup- 
pose that he did not purpose them. And surely 
it must be a source of infinite delight to every 
pious heart, to reflect, that all the occurrences 
of this life, however inscrutable, are in precise 
accordance with the well -digested plans of the 
divine counsel, and a part of the divine purpose. 
How delightful to know that the number of our 
months, and all our times and springs, are laid 
with infallible wisdom and goodness in the folds 
of that divine providence, which is to secure the 
highest good to an intelligent creation, and the 
most permanent glory to their Creator ! How 
soul-transporting, to feel that all our ways are di- 
rected by his hand, beheld by his eye, and crown- 
ed with his smiles ! The eyes of the Lord run 
to and fro, through the whole earth, to show hinl- 
self strong in behalf of those whose heart is pei% 
feet towards him." 2 Chronicles xvi. 9. 



LESSON XL 

GOD THE IMMUTABILITY OF. 

Question. Is God the same now that he has al- 
ways been ? 

Answer. Yes. God saith, I am the Lord, I 
change not. Malachi iii. 6. Psalms x. 2, xxv. 
27. Lam. iii. 22. 

Q. Will God ever change 1 

A. No. Every good gift, and every perfect 
gift, is from above, and cometh down from fte 
father of lights, with whom there is no variable- 
ness, neither shadow of turning. James i, 17. j ; 

Q. You sometimes make up your mind with 
regard to certain objects ; but afterwards, other 
reasons occur to alter your opinions and purposes : 
can any thing new be presented to the divine 
mind, which, in like manner, shall cause him to 
change his determinations 1 

A. No. The Lord is of one mind, and who 
can turn him ? and what his soul desireth, even 
that he doeth. Job xxiii, 13. Psalms xxxiii. 11. 
Proverbs xix. 21. Isaiah xlvi. 10. Hebrews vl. 
17. Acts v. 39. 



76 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTORS 

Q, Men sometimes form contracts and enter 
into agreements which they will not fulfil : will 
God ever alter his mind, and not fulfil his cove- 
nant of grace with his people ? 

A. No, God hath made with me an everlast- 
ing covenant, ordered in all things and sure. — *- 
2 Samuel xxv. 5. Psalms Ixxxix. 29-35. Isaiah 
jy. 3. Jeremiah xxxii. 40. Hebrews viii. 12, 
ib. x. 16, 17.' 

Q. In the covenant of grace God hath promised 
a great many excellent things to his* saints : will 
lie ever change his mind, and withhold those 
blessings ?.. 

A. No. Let us hold fast the profession of our 
faith without •wavering ; for he is faithful that 
promised : who also will do it. Hebrews x. 23, 

1 Thes. v. 24. D^ut* vii. 9, Joshua xxi. 45. — 
Rom. iv. 16, 20, 21. 1 Cor. x. 13. 2 Cor. i. 20. 

2 Thes. iii. 3. 1 John i. 9. 

Q. Sometimes men become sorry for having 
conferred certain favors ; because they find out 
they were bestowed upon unworthy objects : does 
God ever repent of what he has done, in such a 
sense as to imply a change in his mind ? 

A. No. The ^ifts and callings of God are 
without repentance. Romans xi. 29. Numbers- 
xxiiu 19v 1 Samuel xv. 29. Ezekiel xxiv, 14; 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 1-1 

1 Q. God hath denounced a great many heavy 
judgments against those who continue in sin : — - 
will he ever change his purpose and net faithfully 
execute them ? • 

A. No. Though hand join in hand the wicked 
shall not go unpunished. Pro. xi. 21. Joshua 
xxiii. 14. 2 Chronicles xxxvi. 16. Job xi. 20* 
Psalms xxxviL 13. Proverbs xxix. 1. Lam. iL 
17. Luke xviii. 17. 2 Thessalonians i. 6-9, 
Hebrews x. 37. Jude xiv. 15. 

Q. 8ome«years ago we heard a great deal about 
a dark spot which had been discovered on the face 
of the sun : has any man ever discovered a dark 
spot of sin in the divine character 1 

A. No, God is light, and in him is no dark- 
. iies s at all. 1 John i. v. Exodus.xv.il. Job 
xxxiv. 10. Psalms xcii. 15, 

PvEMARKS. 

The immutability of God refers to his nature, 
his purpose, and his holy character. 

First. If we would form correct notions of 
the divine immutability, we must distinguish be- 
tween his nature and his works. The works of 
God are but creatures ; all the circumstances and 
conditions of whose existence are wholly depen- 
dent upon the power and will of another. That 
they should therefore, be subject to continual r mm° 



TS THE CATECHETICAL IT* STRUCT OK'. 

tation, is what might he naturally expected. De- 
signed originally for specific ends, and brought 
into existence for these purposes, they pass on, 
through continual changes, to the ultimate accom- 
plishment of their primary objects. No such 
changes, however, attach to divine nature. That 
God is inherently and necessarily " the same yes- 
terday, to-day, and forever," results inevitably from 
the admission of his independence and self-exist- 
ence. We might as easily imagine that "the 
whole is not equal to all its parts ;" or that "two 
and two are not equal to four," as that a being 
whose very existence, and all of whoBe attributes, 
are perfectly independent of every other possible 
influence, should not be unchangeable in the small- 
est degree. Every thing, that could be supposed 
capable of producing any change in his nature, 
is excluded by the proposition itself. To deny the 
immutability of the divine nature is, therefore, the 
same as to deny the independence and self-exist- 
ence of God — the same as to say he is not God. 
Secondly. We must distinguish between the 
divine purpose and the divine providence. The 
providence of God, is, that control and superin- 
tendence which he exercises over all things — - 
conducting them with infallible certainty to the 
great ends for which they were created, and are 
still preserved. In itself it is exceedingly vari- 
ous and changeable : and often so towards the 
same individuals. Let us not, however, imagine 
that God changes his purpose with every change 
apparent in his providence. The different modes 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 7§ 

of the divine dealings with men, do no more im- 
ply that he has changed his purpose with regard 
to them, than do the revolution of the seasons, 
the eclipses of the sun and moon, or the desola- 
tions of storms and tempests sweeping over the 
world, imply that the fundamental laws of the ma- 
terial universe are changed with each of these 
events. When it is said, " It repented the Lord 
that he had made man upon the earth," or "The 
Lord repented that he had made Saul king over 
Israel ;" or that " God repented of the evil, that 
he said he would do unto the Ninevites, and did 
it not;" we are not to understand, that something 
new had occurred to the divine mind in connexion 
with these several events, and which caused him 
to really regret what he had done ; or in any wise 
to change his original purpose with regard to 
them; but simply that his providences had been, 
or were about to be remarkably changed towards 
them. Such phrases, it is beyond dispute, are to 
be taken only in a figurative sense. They are 
used after the manner of men ; and in condescen- 
sion to mortal weakness, In strict propriety, 
u God is not man, that he should lie ; nor the son 
of man, that he should repent." (Numbers xxiii. 
19. 1 Samuel xv. 29). However various and 
changable may be the divine providences, his pijr- 
poses— embracing all these as means to an end— 
remain forever, the same and unalterable, " He 
is of one mind, and who can turn him ? and what 
his soul desireth, even that he doeth." 

Thirdly* We must distinguish between the 



$0 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 

immutability of the divine character and holiness* 
and the moral conduct of men— who, if yon please, 
are often instruments by which God effects his 
purpose in the world. One of the greatest em- 
barrassments in many minds, is that which always 
attends the attempt so to harmonize the agency 
of men with the divine superintendence, as that 
the vices ot the former shall not detract from the 
holiness of the latter. If, however, there is any 
real and necessary connexion between the crimes 
of men and the holiness o** God, we confess, that 
we have been utterly unable to discover it ; nor 
can it be inferred from any just and correct 
notions of the divine agency, in the government 
of the universe.. It is beyond contradiction that, 
the superintendence of God is as direct and uni- 
versal over the brute and animal creation, as it is 
over men or angels : and, therefore, we may as 
readily imagine that the divine nature is affected 
by all the qualities of the brute creation — that all 
the qualities of a toad, the venom of a serpent, 
or the fierceness of a hyena, enter essentially in- 
to the divine character ; as that his holiness should 
be affected by the sins of men or angels. Fur- 
thermore, it will not be denied, that God does 
work in every Christian "to will and to do" to 
u work out his salvation with fear and trembling; ,; 
and at the same time, does so work in him, as 
not in the least degree to destroy his own volun- 
tariness, (and therefore, praiseworthiness) in thus 
working out his salvation. In like manner, we 
see not why he can not so work in the hearts qjf 



' 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 81 

wicked men to will and to do wickedly, as not in 
the least sense to destroy their own voluntary 
agency in willing and doing wickedly, and being 
blame -worthy to the fullest extent, in such con- 
duct. Hence, when it is said that "God put into 
their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree and 
give their power to the beast," (Revelation xvii. 
17) or that "he put into their hearts to hate his 
people," (Psalms cv. 25) we are not to understand 
that it was so done as that the divine holiness was 
affected by such wicked conduct. The reason is, 
the actions of men, whether good or bad, are 
strictly their own, without any regard to the mo- 
tives, causes, or influences, by which they were 
occasioned. Their qualities in no sense attach 
to the divine character to render him more or less 
holy. The immutability of the divine holiness, 
results inevitably from the admission of his infi- 
nite perfection. If he is not perfect, then, he is 
not God, If he is — then, nothing can be added 
to or taken from that perfection. To deny the 
immutability of the divine holiness, therefore, is 
the same as to deny his perfection— the same a? 
to say he is not Go.dL 



LESSON XII.- 

GOD THE VERACITY OF. 

Question. You said, in the last lesson, that 
God is unchangeable : is he not a God of truth ? 

Answer, Yes. The Lord is a God of truth, 
and without iniquity ; just and right is he. Deut, 
xxxii. 4. Psalms xxxi. 5, ib. cxlvi. 6. Jer. x. 10. 

Q. Will God ever lie ? 

A. No. God is not man that he should lie. 
nor the son of man that he should repent : he 
hath said and he will do it ; he hath spoken and 
he will make it good. Num. xxiii. 19, 1 Sam, 
xv. 29. Titus i. 2. Hebrews vi. 17, 18. 

Q,. Men sometimes convey false impression? 
by mingling some things in their statements which 
are not true : does God ever say any thing that 
is not true ? 

A. No. The word of the Lord is true from 
the beginning. Psalms cxix, 180. 1 Kings xvii* 
24, Nehemiah ix. 13, Psalms xix. 7-9, ib. iiL 
7. John xvii. 17. 

Q, If you intentionally excite an expectation 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 83 

in the mind of another whid| you do not strive to 
fulfil, you are guilty of falsehood : will God ever 
disappoint an expectation which a right under- 
standing of his word creates ? 

A. No. The Lord will fulfil the desire of 
them that fear him : he also will hear their cry 
and will save them. Psalms cxlv. 19. I Kings 
viii. 15. Psalms ix, 18. Proverbs x. 28, ib. xi. 
7, ib, xxiii. 18. Isaiah xxvi. 3, 8. Lam. iii. 26. 
Luke xvi. 25. Romans viii. 19-21. Philippians 
i. 19, 20. 

Q> How then should we receive the testimony, 
which God gives of men and things ? 

A. If we receive the witness of men, the wit- 
ness of God is greater. 1 John v. 9. Jeremiah 
xlii. 5. John v. 36, 7. 

Q. Does not the truth of God lay a firm foun- 
dation for the confidence of his creatures ? 

A. Yes. ' I believe God that it shall be even 
as it was told me. Acts xxvii. 25. Psalms cxxv, 
1, ib. xlii. 11. Romans iv, 20, 21. 

REMARKS. 

Be certain that you rightly understand the word 
of God : for his veracity does not require him to 
fulfil a false expectation. 

First. Do not confound individuals with na- 
imns and communities in the application of his 



84 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

promises. In Acts ^i. 5, it is said that " God 
gave to Abraham no inheritance in the land of 
Canaan ; no, not so much as to set fcis foot on : 
yet he promised that he would give it to him and 
to his seed after him, for a possession." The ap- 
parent contradiction between the facts and the 
promise of God in this instance, will immediately 
vanish, if we remember, that the promise was 
national, and not intended to include every indi- 
vidual member of the family of Abraham. In 
this sense it was received by Abraham, Isaac and 
Jacob, (Hebrews xi. 13) and in this sense it was 
literally fulfilled. 

Secondly. Do not confound temporal with 
spiritual things, in the interpretation of God's 
promises. The promises relating to the spiritual 
kingdom of Messiah, the Jews misunderstood to 
refer to the reign of a temporal Prince, who should 
subdue the nations with the power of the sword. 
Hence, they were not prepared for the objects of 
his advent; and instead of submitting to his spir- 
itual dominion, they filled up the measure of their 
iniquity in his crucifixion. In like manner, should 
any infer from such promises as these : " fear not 
little flock ; it is your Father's good pleasure to 
give you the kingdom," or "the meek shall inhe- 
rit the earth," that God hath purposed to bestow 
upon his people a temporal possession of the 
world, it would imply ho want of veracity in the 
Deity, if they should never realize their expecta- 
tion. God will fulfil spiritual promises only. in 
spiritual blessings. 






THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 85 

Thirdly. Do not confound appearances with 
realities in the fulfillment of the divine promises* 
In Psalms xci. 10, it is said of God's people, " No 
evil shall befall thee ; neither shall any plague 
come nigh thy dwelling :" and in Psalms Ixxxiv. 
11, "The Lord will withhold no good thing from 
ihem that walk uprightly." But we are not to 
infer from such expressions, that nothing painful 
or unpleasant shall befall those who fear God. 
All things that are agreeable are not profitable * 
nor are all things to be viewed as evils which 
may be disagreeable. When Joseph was sold 
into Egypt, the pious patriarch exclaimed, " All 
these things go against me." Nevertheless, he 
lived to see that " God meant it for his good," and 
for that of his house, Afflictions are always un- 
pleasant, but when we consider the valuable ends 
that may result from them, they appear among the 
best marks of the goodness of our heavenly Fa- 
ther. God promises to withhold nothing that is 
really profitable from his people ; and to allow 
nothing to befall them which is really injurious. 
This is the sense in v/hich such promises are to 
be taken. 

Fourthly, Do not lose sight of the characters 
-specified in the divine promises. " Blessed are 
they that mourn : for they shall be comforted." 
"Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the 
kingdom of Heaven." 4; Blessed are the pure in 
heart : for they shall see God." " He that be- 
Beveth and is baptized shall be saved." In all 
promises of this description, the character of the* 



M THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOE* 

individual referred to, is of essential importance. 
Should any of a different character expect to re- 
ceive the promised blessing, they might be disap- 
pointed, and yet God be true. A promise to such 
characters is binding only so far as the character 
specified is strictly maintained. " The expecta- 
tion of the wicked shall perish.*' 

Fifthly. Do not confound the certainty of 
the things promised with the time, place, and man- 
yf their bestoivmeni, " I believe God, that it 
shall be even as it was told me ;'* and that his 
word shall be fulfilled in its season. " But when 
that season shall arrive, where we may be at the 
moment — in what we may be engaged — these 
are questions, which the Father hath reserved in 
his own power. 

An expectation based upon the divine promise, 
after carefully remarking these and the like prin- 
ciples — which also apply with equal force to the 
divine denunciations — will as certainly be realized 
as that God hath spoken, " For God willing, 
more abundantly, to shew unto the heirs of pro- 
mise, the immutability of his counsel, confirmed 
it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in 
which it is impossible for God to lie, we might 
have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, 
to lay hold upon the hope set before us. Hebrews 
vi. 17, 13. 



LESSON XIII. 

GOD THE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE OF. 

Question. Is not the Lord a righteous and 
just God ? 

Answer. Yes. Righteous art thou, O Lord, 
and upright are thy judgments. Psalms cxix. 137. 
Deut. xxxii. 2. Job xxxvii. 23. Pro. xvL 11. 
Isaiah xlv. 21. Revelation xv. 3. 

Q, You know that the dealings of God with 
men are exceedingly various, and sometimes af- 
flictive : are any of them unrighteous or unjust ? 

A. No. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, 
and holy in all his works. Psalms cxlv. 17. Ezra 
ix, 13-15. Psalms Ixxxix. 14. Rev. xvi. 7. 

Q. The character of individuals may be safely 
inferred from the things which they love or hate ; 
does not the Lord love righteousness and hate 
wickedness ? 

A. Yes. The Lord loveth righteousness and 
hateth wickedness. Psalms lxv. 7, ib. v. 4-6, ib. 
xi. 7. 

Q. Has not the Lord commanded us to be just 
and upright in all our transactions ? 



m THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

A. Yes. God saith, that which is altogether 
just shall thcu follow, that thou mayest live. — ■ 
Deilt. xvi. 20. Lev. xix, 35. 2 Samuel xxiii. 3. 
Luke iii. 10-16, Colossians iv. 1. 

Q. Has not the Lord forbidden every species 
of fraud, dishonesty, oppression and injustice ? 

A. Yes. See that no man go beyond and de- 
fraud his brother in any matter ; for the Lord is 
the avenger of all such. 1 Thessalonians iv. 6. 
Deuteronomy xxv. 13-16. Proverbs xi. 1, ib, 
xx. 10-14, ib. xxiv. 11, 12, ib, xxviii. 8. Isaiah 
x. 1, 2. Malachi iii. 5. James v. 1-5. 

Q. Has not God appointed a day in which he 
will strictly and formally examine into the char- 
acter and conduct of men ? 

A. ^ es. God hath appointed a- day, in which 
he will judge the world in righteousness, by that 
man whom he hath ordained. Acts xvii. 31 
Psalms xcvi. 13, ib. xeviii. 9. Matthew xii. 36. 
Romans ii. 16, ib. xiv. 12. 2 Corinthians v. 10, 
1 Peter iv. 4. 5. 

Q. It is an unrighteous thing to respect the 
persons of men in judgment: when God comes 
ro judge the world, will he have any respect U> 
persons '. 

\. No, There is no respect of persons with 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 89 

OocL Rom. ii. 11. Gen. xviii. 25. Deut. x. 
17. 2 Chron. xix. 7. Job xxxiv. 12, 19, ib« 
viii. 3. Is. iii. 10, 11. 

, Q. Will not the Lord in righteousness and jus- 
lice, give to every man in precise accordance with 
his works, and the proper effect of his works ? 

A. Yes. The eyes of the Lord are upon all 
the ways of the sons of men, to give to every man 
according to his ways, and according to the fruit 
of his doings. Jer. xxxii. 19. Job xxxiv. 11, 
?s. Lxii. 12. Jer.xvii. 10. Mat. xvi. 27. Rer< 
xx. 12. 

Q. Christians sometimes make large sacrifices, 
and submit to great trials and persecutions for 
the glory of God : will not the righteous Lord re- 
ward them for all ihese things ? 

A. Yes. The Lord is not unrighteous to for- 
get your work, and labour of love, which ye have 
showed to his name. Heb. vi. 10. IV! at. v. 10— 
12, ib. x. 40-42. Mark ix, 41.* Luke vi. 35, 
ih. xviii. 7, 8. Rom. xii. 19. Rev. vi. 10. 

Q. Will not a righteous God punish those wh« 
persecute and oppress his people ? 

A. Yes. It is a righteous thing with God t# 
z^ecompense tribulation to them that trouble yo«> 
7 



90 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

2 Thes. i. 6-9. Mat. xviii. 5. Rev. xviii. 20, ib. 
xix. 2, 3, 

REMARKS. 

The present life is a period, not of rewards and 
punishments, but of the distribution of talents to 
be improved with reference to a future accounta- 
bility : and, therefore, a full and complete display 
of the divine justice cannot be anticipated in the 
present life. The only caution necessary is, that 
we do not impugn the justice of God, in what, to 
us, may now be mysterious, or even apparently 
unequal in the condition and circumstances of the 
various nations and individuals of our race. If 
we are asked why some are born heathen and 
others Christian- — why some are born masters, 
with every facility for mental and moral improve- 
ment ; and others are born slaves, to whom these 
are to a large extent denied- — why some are poor, 
and others rich — why the whole life of some is 
but a scene of adversity, while others enjoy unin- 
terrupted prosperity? It must be acknowledged, 
that the only reason that can be assigned is, that 
"thus it seemeth good in thy sight, O Most High.'* 
But surely no one can from hence infer that the 
whole course of the divine providence is unjust. 
Is it unjust that the potter should make of the 
same lump one vessel unto honor and another 
unto dh honor? Js it unjust that a master should 
entrust to one servant ten talents, and to another 
two, and to a third but one? Is it unjust that a 
man should do what he choses with his ovrn 1 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. SI 

Certainly chastened piety would suggest, that ere 
we presume to sit in judgment upon the ways of 
God to man, we should patiently wait until the 
day of retribution, and witness how strictly each 
man's accountability will be proportioned to his 
respective talents, and how strictly rewards and 
punishments will be proportioned to the degree 
of fidelity with which every man has improved 
the talents entrusted to him. Nevertheless, we 
remark, 

First. The divine justice will require more at 
$ke hands of some men than of others. The trans- 
actions of the judgment will proceed upon the 
principles Gf proportions. 6i Unto whomsoever 
much is given, of him shall nine a be required." 
The wealth, the intelligence, the personal or fam- 
ily influence, the opportunities and occasions, 
which men enjoy— these, and the like advantages, 
constitute the talents for whh*h they will be held 
accountable ; and by how much these differ among 
men, by so much, will the judgment be more tol- 
erable for some than for others. 

Secondly, The dw ne justice ivttl have respect 
to every individual fiction of life. As in human 
judicatories, the several charges are preferred 
separately ; so in the great assize of the world, 
"every work with every secret thing" will be 
brought into judgment. A solitary cup of cold 
water, ''given to a disciple in the name of a dis- 
ciple," shall not lose its reward : nor shall a sol- 
itary instance of the rejection of a disciple, as 
such, fail of a just retribution. 



92 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Thirdly. The divine justice will take special 
zance of the motives with which the works of 
inert are •performed. These form an indispensa- 
ble part of the actions themselves. A good mo- 
live, to be sure, will not sanctify a bad deed. 
Much less will a good deed excuse a bad motive. 
God saith, ^ I the Lord search the heart and, try 
iherehis, even to give to every man according to 
his works." Pious conduct performed from self- 
ish considerations, or to be seen of men,*' will 
" receive no re ward of your Father which is in 
Heaven." 

Fourthly. The divine justice will regard, 
rily the works of metis, hut also the legitimate 
effects of those works. " He will > ive to every 
man according to his works, and according to the 
fruit of his doings." w They that turn many to < 
righteousness shall shine as the stars in the fir- ' 
raaraent forever*': and they that are ki corrupt- 
ers " — they who "pervert the right ways of the 
Lord " — who "take away the keys of knowledge 
and will neither enter the kingdom of heaven 
themselves, nor suffer those who would, to enter 
in — these shall receive the greater damnation." 

Fifthly. The divine justice will distribute re- 
wards and punishment, not according to the length 
of tune consumed in the commission of the act, but 
according to the moral quality of the art, whether 
qood or bad. It is not material whether the act 
of obedience or disobedience required an hour, 
a month or a day ; or whether it was done in the 
twinkling of an eye. The act, and the act alone, 



IKE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 9$ 

is the question. If it was good, it will be re- 
warded ; if it was evil, it will be condemned, 
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." "The 
wicked shall go away into everlasting punish- 
ment ; but the righteous into life eternal." 

Finally. The rigour of the divine justice will 
be strictly executed upon every one, who has not a 
personal and saving interest in Christ. Possess- 
ed only of the righteousness of works, they must 
stand or fall upon this. If under the scrutiny of 
a burning justice, they can be cleared, that jus- 
tice will acquit them ; if not, they must fall : and 
the scripture saith, " cursed is every one that 
coniinueth not in all things written in the book of 
tthe law to do them." 



■LESSON XIV- 

GOD- — THE BENEVOLENCE OF. 

Question. You said in the last lesson that the 
Lord is a just and righteous God ; is he not also 
a God of love and goodness ? 

Answer. Yes. God is love— he is good and 
doeth good. 1 John iv. 8, 16, Psalms cxix. 68. 
Nehemiah ix. 17. Psalms xxxiv. 8. Matthew 
xix. 17. 



94 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 

Q. If you reflect for a moment, you will see, 
that God has made all living things with capacity 
for a high degree of enjoyment, and that he has 
provided them with abundant means of happi- 
ness ; have we not, therefore, a great many evi- 
dences of the goodness of God in creation and 
providence ? 

A. Yes. The earth is full of the goodness of 
the Lord. Psalms xxxiii. 5. Job xxii. 17, 18. 
Psalms ciii. 2-6. ib. civ. 25. Jeremiah ix. 24. 
Acts xiv. 17. 1 Timothy iv. 4. 

Q. Men are sinful beings, and are prone to 
abuse their best blessings t<> their injury : and to 
prevent this God does sometimes take away 
their comforts : are not even the afflictions of life 
a strong mark of God's love towards us ? 

A. Yes. For whom the Lord loveth he cor- 
rected ; even as a lather the son in whom he de- 
iighteth. Proverbs iii. 12, Genesis 1. 20. Job 
v. 17. Psalms cxix. 67, 71. Romans v. 3-5. ib. 
viii. 28. 1 Corinthians xi. 32. Hebrews xib 
6-11. 

Q. Is not the gift of Jesus Christ a striking ex- 
ample of the great love of God towards us ! 

A. Yes. In this was manifested the love of 
God towards us, because that he sent his son into 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 95 

flie world, that we might live through him. — 
I John iv. 9. 10. ib. iii. 16. Romans v. 8. John 
iii, 16. Ephesians ii. 4-7. 

Q. Should not men love and praise God for his 
great goodness towards them ? 

A. Yes. Oh that men would praise the Lord 
for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to 
the children of men. Psalms cvii. 8, ib. xxxvi. 
7-9, ib. cxvi. 12, ib. cxvii. 1, 2, ib. cxxxviii. 2. 
1 John iv. 19. 

Q. Has not God commanded us to love our 
fellow men, even as he has loved us ? 

A. Yes. If God hath so loved us, we ought 
also to love one another. 1 John iv. 11, ib. iii. 
10, ib. iv. 7, 20, 21. Luke vi. 35. Romans 
xiii. 8. 1 Corinthians xiii. 1—3. Ephesians iv. 
32, ib. v. 25. 

REMARKS. 

First. Benevolence denotes either the disposi- 
tion to do good, or the actual doing of good. 
Both of these are asciibed to the Deity, in that 
beautitul expression of the Psalmist: "The Lord 
is good and doeth good." We, however, incline 
to regard the apostolic phrase— ^ God is love" — 
as more comprehensive ; and, therefore, more ap- 
plicable to that general view of the divine benev- 
olence to which we allude in the present lesson. 
The apostle in this place, perhaps, refers, not so 



96 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

much to any one distinct attribute of Deity, as t# 
a peculiar characteristic of benevolence apper- 
taining to all his perfections and perceivable in all 
his works. As in ihe moral law all the duties of 
socia' life — whether they respect equals or une- 
quals — whether they concern the guilty or the 
innocent, are fulfilled in love : so in the divine be- 
nevolence, mercy and justice, truth and righteous- 
ness, goodness and severity, are perfectly har- 
monized. God is equally good when he con- 
demns the guilty, or clears the innocent, — when 
he rewards the virtuous, or punishes the vicious 
— when he saves the righteous or destroys the 
wicked. Hence, 

Secondly. The divine benevolence is concern- 
ed to secure the highest good of the universe, as a 
whole. Every society is made up of individuals. 
Nevertheless, it is easily perceived, that th^ so- 
ciety, as such, is widely distinguished from the 
individuals of which it is composed. Nor yet is 
it less appaient, that the highest good of the body, 
which is always the preferable object, may some- 
times require the sacrifice of some of its mem- 
bers. Numberless instances of this are recorded 
in the annals of families, churches and States : — 
nor is it possible to calculate the injury that 
would result to the world, if the contrary principle 
were to obtain. No man would consider that 
father a benevolent being, who should suffer the 
peace and happiness of his whole house broken 
up, rather than eject an incorrigible son. No 
man would consider that ruler a benevolent be- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRTCTOK, 87 

ang, who, in an over- weening fondness for an out- 
law, should sacrifice the order and well-being 
of the whole community. The innocent have 
claims upon benevolence, as well as the guilty ; 
and no good being could adopt the policy of haz- 
arding the former for the sake of the latter. — 
This principle holds good equally in the divine, 
as in human government. The benevolence of 
God is directed to the attainment of the highest 
interests of a boundless creation : nor is it an ar- 
gument against that benevolence, that he should 
punish the incorrigibly wicked with " everlasting 
destruction from his presence and from the glory 
of his power. 5 ' 

Thirdly. So far as relates to the present life, 
the benevolence of God is of two kinds : that which 
respects the guilty, and, that which respects the in- 
nocent. The former is properly pity, mercy, or 
compassion : the latter, is complacency or de- 
light. To the former, allusion is had in that vast 
and sublime system of providence and grace 
which is directed to the salvation of sinners.— 
" God commendeth his love towards us, in that 
while we wpre yet sinners, Christ died for us. ?> 
The latter is meant, when it is said, "the right- 
eous Lord loveth righteousness." It were im- 
possible that a pure and holy being should feel 
delight in sinners, as such; and it were equally 
impossible that he should not contemplate holi- 
ness with complacency. 



LESSON XT. 

GOD THE MEECY OF. 

Question. Mercy consists in doing good to 
an unworthy object ; and that without any hope of 
reward : is not the Lord a merciful God ? 

Answer. \ es. The Lord is merciful and gra- 
cious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. — 
Psalms ciii. 8. Exodus xxxiv. 6, 7. Dan. ix. 9, 
Micah vii. 18. Ephesians ii. 4. 

Q. Can you mention any of the blessings 
which God bestows upon men? 

A. Yes. He forgiveth all thine iniquities : 
healeth all thy diseases ; redeemeth thy life from 
destruction ; crowneth thee with loving kindness 
and tender mercies; and satisfieth thy mouth with 
good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the 
eagles. Psalms ciii. 2-5, ib. v. 12, ib. xxiii. 
5-6, ib. lvi. 13, ib. cxlvii, 3. Hebrews x. 17. 

Q. Does God confer these blessings upon 
mankind because they are worthy of them? 

A. No. O Lord, I am not worthy of the least 
of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou 



THE CATHECIIETICAL INSTKTJCTOIt. 99 

liast shewed unto thy servant. Genesis xxxiu 
10. Daniel ix. 7, 8. Matthew viii. 8. Romans 
iii. 9-18, 23. 

Q. You said in the last lesson, that the gift of 
Jesus Christ to die for sinners, is an instance of 
the benevolence of God : is not the mercy of God 
also displayed in the salvation of sinners by him? 

A. Yes. After that the kindness and love of 
God our Savior toward man appeared, not by 
works of righteousness which we have done, but 
according to his mercy he saved us, by the wash- 
ing oi regeneration and the renewing of the Holy 
Ghost. Titus iii. 4, 5. Rom. iii. 3, 24, 5. Eph* 
ii. 8. 

Q. If one does you wrong, and you inflict upon 
him a less punishment than his offence deserves, 
you manifest more of mercy than justice in the 
act : is not the mercy of God in this manner dis- 
played, even in the heaviest afflictions of life ? 

A. Yes. For God hath punished us less than 
our iniquities deserve. Ezra ix. 13. Job xi. 6. 
Psalms ciii. 10. 

Q. Is not the long suffering and patience of 
God, giving to men time and opportunity to re- 
pent, an evidence of his great mercy towards 
them? 



100 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

A. Yes. It is of the Lord's mercy that we are 
not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 
Lam. Hi 22. Isaiah xxx. 18. Joel ii. 12, 13, 
2 Peter Hi. 0. 

Q. Will men ever be able to repay the Lord 
for all his goodness and mercy towards them? 

A. No. O Lord my goodness extendeth not 
to thee ; but to the saints that are in the earth, 
and to the excellent in whom is all my delight* 
Ps. xvi. 23. Job xxii, 2, ill. xxxv. 5-3. Prov, 
ix, 12. Acts xvii. 25. • 

Q* Doth not the Lord require us to be mer- 
ciful to' our fellow creatures, even as he is mer- 
ciful to us ? 

A. \ e.s. Be ye therefore merciful even as 
your Father which is in heaven is merciful.— 
Luke vi. 38. Psalms xviii. 25. Proverbs iii. 3. 
Hosea vi. 6. Micah vi 8. Zech. xii. 9. Mat. 
v. 7. 

Q. Will not a gocd man be merciful even to 
his brute ? 

A. Yes. A righteous man regardeth the life 
of his beast. Proverbs xii. 10. 

Q. What is said of the unmerciful ? 

A. He shall have judgment without mercy, 
that showeth no mercy. James ii. 13. llosea 
,iv. i. Matthew xxiii. 23. 



THE CATHECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 101- 

First. Mercy is the mildest and tender est form 
of the divine goodness ; and necessarily implies 
the existence of natural and moral evil. For aught 
that now appears, justice, truth and benevolence 
might exist, and be displayed in a clear and im- 
posing-manner in a government where vice and 
misery had no existence. It. were otherwise, 
however, with regard to mercy. Here sin and 
wretchedness are indispensable. We can hardly 
consider it possible to predicate un worthiness of 
those who have never sinned : much less, that 
imworthiness should exist to such a degree, as 
that a holy God should forsake the creatures of 
his own power without sin. The commission of 
crime is the only forfeiture of his paternal good- 
ness : and but for this, there had been no room for 
mercy in the universe.. This fact is infinitely 
worthy of the serious consideration of those who 
esteem mercy as "the darling attribute of God;" 
and yet are, ever and anon, finding fault with that 
divine providence by which sin found admission 
into our world. 

Secondly. Li sirict propriety, mercy apper- 
tain i only to probationary existence. This is evi- 
dent, partly from its own nature, which is reme- 
dial and partly from the scriptures, wherein we 
are taught that a period of justice will eventually 
succeed to those who obstinately persist in rebel- 
lion against the divine government. Its legiti- 
mate province is this world alone. Now it stands 
the embodiment of all that is good, and, by a 
thousand moving considerations, entreats fallen s 



102 THE CATECHETICAL IXSTRUCTOR. 

man to be reconciled to God. It points to the 
gathering terrors of Sinai, and to the streaming 
tenderness of Calvary — >to the flames of the pit. 
and to the rapiures of heaven; and by all these 
asks, " why will ye die ? But' soon the voice of 
mercy will be hushed. The vital spark blown 
out, and she comes to man no more. They who 
have slighted her overtures, will never again 
slight them : and they who have hearkened to her 
invitations- — clothed in the spotless and worthy 
righteousness of Christ— will be forever regarded 
as though they had not sinned. Then will the 
prophecy be fulfilled in its widest application upon 
the incorrigible- — "this is a people of no under- 
standing : therefore, he that made them will no* 
have mercy on them ; and he that formed them 
wiil show them no favor. Then, also, in its 
tendencies and effects, it will be seen that " the 
mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlast- 
ing, upon them that fear him," 

Thirdly. The divine mercy should be har- 
monized with all the divine perfections, 

" God is a spirit." His mercy is not that me- 
chanical emotion — that inordinate excitement and 
writhing of the muscular and nervous system in 
man, which is occasioned by the sight of distress- 
ed objects. He has no parts and organs to be 
pained and rent by the shrieks and moans of the 
damned —no nerves and fibres to be stretched and 
lacerated by the cries and wailings of the lost. 
His mercy is an intelligence which sees what 
should be pitied ; and compassionates what har- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 103 

mony and order require that he should compas- 
sionate, 

God is holy. His mercy is not that weakness 
that declines from righteousness — that weakness 
which disposes the magistrate to release the crim- 
inal—the sparing of whose life will occasion a 
thousand tragical deaths. It regards the well- 
being of the innocent and the oppressed, not less 
than the happiness of the guilty and the oppressor. 
It were absurd that a holy God should pardon the 
impenitent, and restore him to his communion — 
whose release were but a farther opportunity to 
magnify his crime. 

God is supremely happy. [lis mercy is not in- 
fluenced by those sordid considerations of advan- 
tage wh-ch prompt the kindness of men. "Can 
a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise 
may be profitable unto himself? If thou sinnest, 
what dost thou unto him? or if thy transgressions 
be multiplied, what dost thou against him 1 If 
thou be righteous what givest thou him ? or what 
receiveth he of thine hand ?" The origin and 
fountain- — the cause and reason of his mercy, is 
himself alone. "'He hath mercy on whom he 
will have mercy; and he hath compassion on 
whom he will have compassion." 



LESSON XVI. 

GOD THE HOLINESS OF. 

Question. You said in the last four lessons, 
that the Lord is a God of truth, of justice, of be- 
nevolence and mercy : is he not then a holy God? 
the law of God ? 

Answer. Yes. The Lord our God is holy 
Psalms xcix. 9, ib. xxii. 3. Leviticus xix. 2 
Joshua xxiv. 19. Isaiah vi. 3. 

Q. Will the Lord do any thing that is wicked? 

A. No. Far be it from God, that he should 
do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he 
should commit iniquity. Job xxxiv. 10, ib. xxxvi. 
23, Deut. xxxii. 4. Psalms xcii. 15, ib. cxir, 
17. Romans ix. 14. 

Q. You judge of the moral character of the 
people by the laws they make : what is said of 
the law of God ? 

A. The law is holy; and the commandment 
holy, just, and good. Romans vii. 12. Psalms 
xix. 7-9, ib. cv. 42. Jer. vii. 8-11. Rom. i. 2. 

Q. Doth not God require all of his creature** 
to be holy ? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 10% 

A. Yes. As he which hath called you is holy, 
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. 

1 Pet. i. 15. Leviticus xi. 44. Psalms xxix. 2. 
Eccl. v. 2. Isaiah L 16-18. Luke i. 74, 75, 

2 Corinthians vii. 1. 1 Thessalonians iv. 4-7, 
Hebrews xii. 14. 2 Peter iii. 11. 

Q. It is an evidence that one is holy in a high 
degree, when he will neither entice others to do 
wrong, nor be enticed to do wrong himself: is 
not the holiness of God manifested in this way? 

A, Yes. For God cannot be tempted with 
evil, neither tempteth he any man. James i. 13, 
Deuteronomy x. 17. 2 Chronicles xix. 7. 

Q. It is a mark of the unholiness of men, that 
they are sometimes amused with, and find a de- 
gree of pleasure, in the wickedness of others :■— 
does God, in like manner, take any pleasure fea 
sin ? 

A. No. He is not a God that hath pleasure in 
wickedness , neither shall evil dwell with him. 
Psalms v. 4-6, ih. xi. 7, ib. xxxiii. 5. Proverbs 
xv. 9, 26. Jeremiah xliv. 4. Hab. i. 13. 

Q. Since, then, God cannot be enticed to do 
wickedly himself, nor will entice others to do so ; 
and since he requires all his creatures to be holy, 
and feels no pleasure in their wickedness, must 
he not be infinitely holy ? 
8 



K)0 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

A. Yes. The Lord is glorious in holiness, 
fearful in praises, doing wonders. Exodus xv, 
11. 1 Samuel ii, 2. Job iv. 17-19, ib. xv, 
14-16, ib. xxv. 4-8. Psalms lxxxix. 6-3. 

REMARKS. 
First. The holiness of God is inherent. Ho= 

Hness enters essentially into the divine nature, as 
yellowness in gold, or light in the rays ofthe sun : 
so that, we may as easily imagine that God is not, 
as that he is not holy, if this be not true, it 
be either because unholiness is preferable to ho- 
liness ; or because, notwithstanding holiness is 
preferable to unholiness, God cannot be 

ler of these can be supposed. No intelli- 
gent being can contemplate the one, and the oth- 
er, without reeling that holiness is preferal 
unholiness : nor- yet, can he rightly understand 
the divine character and circumstances, wi 
feeling that he is infinitely independent of, and 
infinitely removed from, all those influences that 
occasion wickedness. " Possessing all things, 
he can need nothing ; contriving all things, he 
can fear nothing ; and effecting all things which 
h ooses, with infinite ease, he can have no oc- 
casion to be otherwise than perfectly holy. 

Secondly. The holiness of God is infinite in 
all its parts and degrees. With him no perfection 
is wanting; nor is any excellence possessed, in 
an imperfect or irregular manner. In his holi- 
ness every possible virtue is combined, blended* 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTUCTORR. iWS 

and harmonized, as the prismatic colors in the 
sunbeams. No one is less essential ; nor is any 
one more "darling." " Mercy and truth here 
meet together;" and h^ re, "righteousness and 
peace " embrace each other. The stern rigor of 
justice, and "the melting tenderness of pity, here, 
mingle and associate with fraternal intimacy. 
Holiness is not so much a solitary attribute of the 
Deity, as it is the harmony of all his attributes— 
as it is the crowning y;!ory of the whole. 

Thirdly. The holiness of G>1 is active. It 
consists in conforming his conduct to the various 
relations he sustains to the universe — as Sove- 
reign, Lord, Creator, Preserver Redeemer, Law- 
giver and Judge. Whatever right reason requires 
that he should do in these several telations, his 
hand performs without abatement, without error, 
and without mistake. Hun self, the fountain of 
all being, of all order, and of all harmony, it were 
impossible that he should not distinctly understand 
ail the relations and dependencies of beings ; and 
impossible that he should not infinitely delight 
in fulfilling to every one, that which order and 
harmony require him to do. He is holy in his 
word and in his works ; in his blessings and in 
his curses ; in the pardons he extends, and in the 
punishments he inflicts. " Far be it from God, 
that he should do wickedness ; and from the Al- 
mighty, that he should commit iniquity." 

Fourthly. The holiness of God renders him 
an object infinitely worthy the supreme admiration : 
and delight, the love and confidence of his crea*~ 



108 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

tures. The eye of man was organized to admire 
beauty ; and the soul to delight in excellence : 
and if the fatal and disorganizing work of sin has 
not extended so far as to entirely eradicate every 
vestige of the original purity and uprightness of 
our nature, we may well be allowed, on the pres- 
ent occasion, to make an appeal to that which 
remains. Where are those who love the truth 
for its own sake ; and find pleasure in holiness 
because it is such ? Where are the disputers of 
man's total apostacy and alienation from the life 
©f God 1 To these we appeal — to these we pre- 
sent " the full- orbed glory " of the divine perfec- 
tion, "with all its round of rays complete." In 
him, alone, unite all the virtues that adorn char- 
acter, and render it infinitely lovely and worthy 
of praise. He alone is light, in whom there is 
no darkness. To him we point, and claim the 
homage of every rational and intelligent creature, 
upon grounds which reason will approve. "Ex- 
alt the Lord our God, and worship at his foot- 
stool: for the Lord our God is holy." Psalms 
xcix. 5, 9. 



LESSON XVII. 

THE TRINITY. 

Question, You said in the sixth lesson, that 
there is but one God : is not that one God mani- 
fested to us in three persons ? 

Answer. Yes. There are three that bear re- 
cord in Heaven : the Father, the Word, and tho 
Holy Ghost : and these three are one. 1 John 
y. 7. John i. 18, ib. x. 30, ib. xiv, 20. 

Q. Will you repeat Matthew iii. 16, 17 ? 

A. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went 
straightway out of the water : and lo, the heavens 
were opened unto him; and the spirit of God de- 
scending like a dove and lighting upon him ; and 
lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, This is my be- 
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

Q. Were there not three persons manifested 
on this occasion ? 

A. Yes. The Son, who was baptized ; the 
Holy Ghost, who descended upon him ; and the 
Father, who said this is is my beloved Son. 



110 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. B 

Q. In baptism we openly profess oar depend- 
ence upon, and our submission to, the person in 
whose name we are baptized : what is the com- 
mand of Christ respecting baptism ? 

A, Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, bap- 
tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Mathew xxviii. 19. 

Q. Do we not, then, in baptism profess our 
dependence upon, and our submission to, three 
divine persons equally? 

A. Yes. We depend, equally, upon the Fath- 
er, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and we worship 
them in the same manner. 

Q. A benediction is a form of short prayer for 
blessings, which none but God can bestow : will 
you repeat the apostle's benediction in 2 Corin- 
thians xiii. 14? 

A. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
love of God, and the communion of the Holy 
Ghost, be with you all. [See also Romans i. 7. 
1 Cor. i. 3. Gal. i. 3. Eph. i. 2. Philippians 
i, 2, ib. ii. 1. Romans xv. 5, 6. 2 Thes. iii. 5.] 

Q. Did not the apostle in this place address 
his prayer, equally, to three divine persons ? 

A. Yes. He asked blessings from the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 111 

Q. Since, then, there are three that bear re- 
cord in- Heaven, and since three were manifested 
at the baptism of Christ ; and since we are to be 
baptized equally in the name of three ; and since 
the apostle prayed to three in his benedictions : 
is it not absolutely certain that there are three 
persons in the Godhead, and that these three are 
one God ? 

A. Yes. There are three persons in the one 
God, and no more than three. 

REMARKS, 

First. The word "person" must not he un- 
derstood in the same sense when applied to God, 
as ivhen applied to men. An oversight of a pro- 
per distinction at this point, has been the occa- 
sion of much error, and much needless controver- 
sy, respecting the blessed trinity. When applied 
to men, "person" denotes an individual being : 
and every "person" is a distinct and separate 
being. This, however, is not true with regard 
to the deity. There are not three beings in the 
Godhead ; but one being, in three persons. Fur- 
thermore, when applied to men, the word " per- 
son" includes in it only such attributes as belong 
to men ; but when referred to the deity, it includes 
all the attributes that properly belong to God : 
viz: "Power and might irresistible; perfect 
knowledge and consummate wisdom ; eternity, 
immutability and omnipresence ; creative powers, 
supremacy and necessary existence. .These aire 



U.2 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

the characters, under which God has been pleas- 
ed to make himself known ; and it is on these 
accounts, that he, in opposition to all other gods, 
claims to be received and honored as God; These, 
therefore, are what make up the spiritual idea of 
a * person/ that is properly, really, and truly God," 

Secondly, The trinity in unity is a great mys- 
tery, which we are required, not so much to under- 
stand, as to believe. Uow three are one, and how 
one is three, we may not be able to fully compre- 
hend : nevertheless, we are able to believe it up- 
on the ground of evidence. And thus, we are 
compelled to act in a great many instances be- 
sides the present. "Thou knowest not the way 
of the spirit ;. nor how the bones do grow in the 
womb of her, that is with. child •:" (Ecclesiastes 
li. 5) how much less can we know of the pecu- 
liar manner in which God may exist ! What 
God is, no man could find out, until by a distinct 
revelation he saw fit to make it plain : and in 
like manner, we should be content to wait, until 
by a revelation he shall see fit to show us how 
there can be three persons in one God, and one 
God in three persons. If this doctrine is clearly 
taught in the sacred scriptures, it is our highest 
wisdom to receive it, asking no questions, as to 
" how can these things be." 

Thirdly. As additional evidence of this doc- 
trine, we observe, that divine titles, divine attri- 
butes, divine works, and divine worship, are in 
the scriptures given equally to three persons. 
Our limits will not allow us to quote the proofs 
it length ; but for the satisfaction of those who 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 



113 



wish to examine the subject, we will state them 
< — arranged under the word Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost ; and in a separate column, to the left, the 
various points proven by the scripture references : 

(1) Divine titles are given equally to three persons : to the 

FATHER. SON. HOLY GHOST. 

Lord, or I ^ 17 I Acts x. 36. I Nu. xiv.26-9. 

Jehovah, | Veut ' x ' li ' | 1 Tim. vi. 14, 15. | Heb. iii. 7. 
n L , .. ft I 1 Tim. iii. 16. I Acts v. 34. 

(jrOD, JJeut. Vll. y- -i T U OH im, oo 

I J 1 John v. 20. I 1 1 hesi v. 23. 

'2) Divine attribat is are predicated equally of three 
persons — of the 

father. son. 

Mic. v. 2. 
Rev. i. 8. 

Jer.xxSli.sJ^^ 1 ; 20 - 

I John in. 13. 

John x. 15. 
Col. ii. 2, 3. 



Eternity, 

Omnipresence, 

Omniscience, - 
Immutability, 



Omnipotence, 



Ps. xc. 2. 



Acts xv. IF 



M-- 



G. 



Heb. i. 10,12, 
lb. xiii. 8. 



Job'xlii. 1,2 Phii.iii.20,21. 



HOLY GHOST. 

Heb. ix. 14. 
Ps. cxxxix. 7. 
lCor.il.10, 11. 



Jer. xxxi. 36. 
Heb. x. 15,16. 
Ro. xv. 13,19. 



(3) Divine wor$s are ascribed equally to three persons 
-to the 



Creation, 

Insp'ation, 
Sanctifi'n, 

Resurrec'n 



FATHER. 

Jer.x. 10,12. 

Job. xxxii. 8. 
Jude i. 

John v. 21. ' 



son. holy ghost. 

John i. 1-3. Gen. 2. 

Col. i. 13,17. Jobxxvi. 13. 

Gal. i. 12. Johnxvi. 13, 14. 

Heb. ii. 11. Rom. xv. 16. 

Johixv.2ia9 4 Pet -. ii i- 18 - 

J jRom. i. 4. 

lb. viii. 11. 
(4) Divine worship is rendered equally to three persons 
-to the 



Prayer and 
Praise. 



father, 
Ps. xcv. 6. 7. 



SON. 

Heb. i. 6. 



HOLY GHOST. 

Rom. xv. 5, 6. 
2 Thes. 3, 5. 



114 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

But we forbear : we are persuaded, that the 
evidence cited in this table of proof is sufficient, 
to convince an impartial inquirer after truth : and 
beyond this, there is no hope of conviction. If, 
after a careful examination of this accumulation 
of testimony, any should still be disposed to doubt, 
we would ask, which of the three persons shall 
Ave reject? Are not precisely the same things 
said of ail, that are said of either I and may we 
not as readily deny the existence of God. in iolo. 
as to deny that there are three persons, equally 
divine — " coequal, coeternal, and coessential," in 
the Godhead ? 

We, therefore, enter it as a part of Christian 
faith, that " there is one living and true God, 
everlasting, without body, parts, or passions ; ot 
infinite power, wisdom and goodness ; the maker, 
and preserver of all things, both visible and invi- 
sible : and in the unity of this Godhead, there 
are three persons, of one substance, power, and 
eternity — the leather, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
The Son, who is the word of the Father, and be- 
gotten from everlasting of the Father, is the true 
. and eternal God, of one substance with the Father. 
The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and 
the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, 
with the Father and the Son — the true and eter- 
nal God. r? " There are three that bear record 
in Heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy 
Ghost : and these three are one." 



PART II. 



LESSON XVIII. 

CREATION THE WOULD, 

Question. Who made the heavens and ths 
earth? 

Answer. In the beginning, God made the hea- 
vens and the earth? Genesis i. 1. Isaiah xliv, 
24. Jeremiah x. 12. 

Q, Is there any thing, besides himself, in Hea- 
ven or in earth, which God did not make ? 

A. No, All things were made by him : and 

without him was not any thing made, that was 

: made. John L 3. Col. i. 16. Heb. i. 2, ib. iii. 4« 

Q. By what means did God make all things ? 

A. He spake and it was done ; he commanded 
and it stood fast. Psalms xxxiii. 9, ib. cxlviii. 4, 
5. 2 Peter iii. 5. 



116 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 



Q. Did God simply fashion the worlds out of 
something that existed before ; or did he create 
them out of nothing ? 

A, Through faith we understand, that the worlds 
were framed by the word of God ; so that things 
which are seen, were not made of things which 
do appear. Hebrews xi. 3. "He created to make" 
Genesis ii. 3 {margin). 

Q. How long was God employed in the crea- 
tion of all things ? 

A. In six days God made Heaven and earth, 
the sea, and all that in them is. Exodus xx. 11, 
ih* xxxi. 17. Genesis i. 31. 

Q. Could not the great power of God have 
made all things in one day, as easily as in six 
days ? y 

A, Yes. God could have made all things by 
cue word, as easily as he made them in six days. 
Gen. xviii. 14. Jer. xxxii. 27. Mat. xix. 26. 

Q. Why then did God employ six days in the 
creation of all things ? 

A. To teach us, that we should labor and do 
all our work in six days, and rest every seventh 
day. Exodus xx. 9-11, ib, xxiii. 12, ib. xxxi. 15. 

Q. What did God make on the first day 1 

A. God said, Let there be light, and there was 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 1T7 

light. And God saw the light that it was good ; 
and God divided the light from the darkness, 
And God called the light day? and the darkness 
he called night : and the evening and the morn- 
ing were the first day. Genesis L 3-5. 
Q. What was the work of the sixth day ? 
A. On the sixth day, God created man in his 
own image : in the image of God created he him : 
male and female created he them. Gen^ i. 27, 31. 
Job x. 8-11. Ps. cxxxix. 14-16. Acts xvii. 20. 
Q. What did God say concerning his works, 
after he had finished them ? 

A. God saw every thing that he had made, and 
behold it was very good. Genesis i. 31. 

Q. Can you tell what the Lord did on the sev- 
enth day ? 

A. Yes. On the seventh day, God ended his 
work, which he had made : and he rested on the 
seventh day from all the work which he had made. 
Genesis ii. 2. 

Q. Was God wearied with creating the world, 
that he should need rest ? 

A. No. The everlasting God, the Lord, the 
Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, nei- 
ther is weary. Isaiah xl. 28. 

Q. What, then, is meant by God's vesting from 
Ms work ? 



118 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

A. God ceased from the work of creating. 
Hebrews iv. 10. 

Q. For what purpose did God create the hea- 
vens and the earth, man, and ail things else ? 

A. Thou, O Lord, hast created all things, and 
for thy pleasure they are, and were created. 
Revelation iv. 11. Psalms xix. 1, ib\ cxlv. 10-12, 
Romans i. 19, 20. 

REMARKS, 

This world is but a small part of the boundless 
universe. Nevertheless, it is that part with which 
we are principally conversant ; and with which 
we have most to do : and we remark, 

First. The world has not existed from eterni- 
ty. This is evident tr<;m the present state of the 
arts and sciences ; and from the present surface 
of the globe ; and from the absurdities which that 
supposition would involve. 

(1) The present state of the arts and sciences. 
It is a fact familiar to all, that discoveries and im- 
provements are being continually made, in every 
department of the arts and sciences. It is also a 
fact, not less notorious, that almost the entire 
amount of discovery and improvement in these, 
has been made within the last three thousand 
years. But what is three thousand, years beside 
eternity? It is "not a drop in the bucket" — not 
a speck in the horizon. If, then, the world has 
existed from eternity, it is absolutely incredible 7 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 119 

that the arts and sciences have attained only their 
present degree of improvement, and that this has 
been done within a period so short. 

(2) The present surface of the globe* It is 
known to every observing person, that the hills 
and mountains are continually washing down : 
and that the valleys are continually being idled 
up. There are within our own knowledge, and 
which even our boyhood did not fail to remark- 
multitudinous places, where once the bogs and 
morasses defied the foot of man or beast; but 
which, in less (ban half a century; have been so 
completely rilled, by the rapid descent of earth 
from the surrounding elevations as now to pre- 
sent an inviting prospect to the. industrious hus- 
bandman. This tendency to a level is apparent 
in all parts of the world. If thru, the world has 
existed from eternity, it is incredible, that it has 
not long since been reduced to a perfect level. 

(o) The eternity of the world involves the most 
glaring absurdities. Upon that supposition, there 
must have been an intinite series of years, of 
men, of trees, and of every other species of exis- 
tence. But as the word 4 ' infinite" means with- 
out beginning or end ; an "infinite series" of any 
thing, is a contradiction in terms. A " series," 
whether great or small, is an addition of units : 
and as each unit, or link in the chain, had a be- 
ginning, the whole must have had a beginning, 
also. Were we, however, to grant, that the first 
link in the series (of years for example) had no 
beginning, but existed coeval with eternity itself; ; 



120 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

still, it must be allowed, that the second year had 
a beginning : and, as there are only three hund- 
red and sixty-five days in the year, the commence- 
ment of the second year could have been only 
this number of days from the commencement of 
the first. But it were an absurdity that no sensi- 
ble person would presume to assert, that this 
number of days prefixed to a definite and limited 
period, would make an indefinite and unlimited 
period. 

Secondly. The creation of the world is ascru 
bed equally to the Father, to the Son, and to the Ho- 
ly Ghost. If the world and all things have not 
existed from eternity, they must have been crea- 
ted. That which had no existence itself, could 
neither create itself, nor any thing else. Nor 
could a universe containing so many marks of 
contrivance and design as are to be seen in every 
thing around us, within us and above us, have 
come into existence by chance. The cause must 
be adequate to the effect. Contrivance and de- 
sign are evidences of wisdom and skill : and the 
bringing into existence a universe so immeasura- 
bly vast, as w T e know that to be which surrounds 
us, replete with instances of design and contri- 
vance, literally without number, is an effect, which 
required an exertion of wisdom and power abso- 
lutely infinite. " He that built all things is God " 
— God the Father, God the Son, and God the Ho- 
ly Ghost. " In the beginning God made the 
heavens and the earth." " In the beginning was 
the Word, and the Word was with God, and 4he 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 121 

Word was God. The same was in the beginning 
with God. All things were made by him, and 
without him was not any thing made, that was 
made : and the word was made flesh and dwelt 
among us ; and we beheld his glory as of the only 
begotten of the Father, fall of grace and truth. 
"Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created." 
* The spirit of God hath made me." " The earth 
was without form and void, and darkness was upon , 
the face of the deep : and the Spirit of God moved 
upon the face of the waters." Gen. i. 1, 2. Job 
xxxiii. 4, Ps, civ. 30, John i. 1-14. 

Thirdly. If God created all things, he has 
the most perfect and absolute right to all things, 
and the most sovereign authority over all things. 
No right can be equal to that which creation 
gives. We enter God's "husbandry," and "cull 
the ripe fruits " of his almighty power and call 
them our own ! We boast of our right to do what 
we please with the products of his hand ! We 
sharply contend for an exclusive possession ! We 
deny, even to the deity, what he himself hath 
made ! But what rights have we, that we should 
speak stoutly with our lips ? " His hand hath 
made us, and not we ourselves." What claim 
have we to this life, that we should abuse it? 
What exclusive inheritance have we in this wealth 
that we should squander it upon luxury and wine ? 
"The gold and the silver are his." What au- 
thority have we over our fellow creatures, that 
we should maltreat them? "The cattle upon a 
thousand hills are his, also." Who are we, that 
9 



1^2 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOSi 

we should murmur and complain at his providen- 
ces ? u Hath he not the right to do what he will 
with his own ? Shall the child contend with his 
parent? Shall the servant "gainsay" his mas- 
ter ? M Shall the thing formed, say to him that 
formed it, why hast thou made me thus V* "Ren- 
der unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and 
unto God the things that are God's." 



LESSON XIX. 

CREATION ANGELS. 

Question. Of how many orders of intelligent 
creatures have we any account ? 

Answer. There are two classes of intelligent 
creatures — angels and men. 

Q. What are angels 1 

A. Angels are created and finite spirits. Ps e 
civ, 4. Heb. i. 7. 

Q. Are there many of those created spirits 1 

A. Yes, There is an innumerable company 
sf angels. Heb. xii. 22. Psalms lxviii. 17. 
Paniel vii. 10. Revelation v. 11. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 123 

Q. In the Scriptures, names are often expres- 
sive of character and employment: by what 
names are the angels called, which describe 
their character and offices ? 

A, Angels are called, Authorities, Principalis 
ties, Mights, Powers, Thrones, Dominions, Cher- 
ubims and Seraphims. 1 Peter iiL 22. Eph. i. 2L 
Col. L 16, Gen. iii. 24. Ps, lxxx, 1. Is. vi. 2, 3. 

Q. Can you mention any instance of the great 
power of an angel in the destruction of God's 
enemies ? 

A. Yes. The angel of the Lord went forth 5 
and in one night, smote in the camp of the Assy- 
rians an hundred and eighty-five thousand men. 
Isaiah xxxvii. 36. 2 Samuel xxiv, 15 16. Rev„ 
vii, 1, ib* 8th chapter, ib. xx. l-*3. 

Q. Are these mighty and strong angels ever 
interested for the protection of God's people ? 

A. Yes. The angel of the Lord encampeth 
round about them that fear him, and delivereth 
them. Ps. xxxiv. 7, ib, xci. 11, 12. Gen. xix. 
15, 16, ib. xxviii. 12. 2 Kings vi. 17. Dan, 
^i. 22. Hebrews i. 14. Revelation vii. 2, 3.= 

REMARKS. 
Of the existence, nature, attributes and employ-- 
ments of angels r we have no other account, than* 



124 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

that which is afforded in the sacred oracles.. Ne- 
vertheless, 

First. There is nothing absurd in the supposi- 
tion that angels should exist, and that they should 
exist under circumstances precisely such, as the 
Scriptures represent. That men exist, and that 
they exist compounded of matter and mind — com- 
pounded of a rational soul, and an irrational body 
— is beyond a doubt. But, abstractly considered, 
there is less reason to doubt the existence of an- 
gels, than the existence of men. God is a pure 
spirit : and to a rational being wholly unacquaint- 
ed with the existence of either men or angels, we 
dare assert, it would seem far more likely, that, 
in creating intelligent beings, he would create 
them purely spiritual than that he would create 
them partly spiritual, and partly bodily. We think 
it highly improbable, that it would ever have oc- 
curred to the thoughts of any being, entirely ig- 
norant of the fact, that in the creation of intelli- 
gent beings, God would blend matter and mind 
into one compound existence : but, on the contra- 
ry, it is in the highest sense supposable, that de- 
lighting as he does in his own manner of exis- 
tence, he would create intelligent beings as much 
like himself as the nature of the case would allow. 
If, therefore, our own consciousness demonstrates 
the less probability — the existence of men, to be 
true ; it certainly affords a strong presumption, 
that the greater probability — the existence of an- 
gels — is also true. 

Secondly. If angels arc allowed to exist. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 125 

there is nothing absurd in the supposition, that 
they feel a deep interest in the affairs of men. In 
all times and places, men feel a deep interest iii 
the affairs of each other. The good .weep with 
those who weep, and rejoice with those who do 
rejoice. The bad envy the happiness of the good, 
and delight in the misery they suffer. This in- 
terest, in a much higher and holier degree, is felt 
and manifested by the Deity. He has shown in a 
great multiplicity of ways that he beholds all the 
intelligences of the universe, not with an idle in- 
difference ; but with the liveliest concern. If, then, 
we may reason: from what we know, it would seem 
altogether improbable, that one intelligent being 
could exist under any circumstances, where he 
would feel entirely uninterested, in the condition 
and conduct of other intelligences within his 
knowledge. 

Thirdly. Nor is there any thing absurd in 
the supposition, that angels should manifest the in- 
terest they feel in the affairs of men, by laboring 
to influence their conduct, to the utmost of their 
powers and privileges. Thus we know the di- 
vine being acts : and thus ice act. We traverse 
earth and sea to make one proselyte to our opin- 
ions and practices. So far as we are holy, we 
labor to make others holy : and so far as we are 
unholy, we labour to make others unholy : Were 
it in our power to transcend the limits of this 
earth, our zeal would doubtless be carried into 
the planetary system ; and our own peculiar cha- 
racter would be infused into the inhabitants of 



126 THE CATECHETICAL l^ViIUciOS. 

other worlds besides our own. For aught that 
now appears, it is a condition of intelligence, like 
the sun to diffuse itself abroad ; and of vice, like 
the leaven, to leaven the whole lump, Nor is any 
thing detracted from this supposition by the fact, 
that we are wholly ignorant of the mode of an- 
gelic existence ; and of the method by which 
they exert their influence over other beings. The 
same is true also of the divine being : and igno- 
rance would prove as much in the latter case, as 
in the former, 

Fourthly, That which reason renders thus 
probable, with regard, to angels, the Scrijjtures re- 
duce to infallible certainty. Here every shadow 
of doubt is taken away, In_ a great^number of 
places, and in a gieat variety of ways, this autho- 
rity asserts their being, their nature, their en- 
dowments, and their influences. It represents 
their numbers as immense, their attributes as tru- 
ly wonderful, and their stations, offices and em, 
ployments as vastly important and interesting* 
Their titles are expressive of their exalted char- 
acters, and essential duties. They are endowed 
with extraordinary faculties, invested with extra- 
ordinary authority, and fulfill extraordinary pur- 
poses. The angels are the prime ministers of 
God's government. They stand in the presence 
of the King of kings, receive his commands, and 
execute his pleasure upon all the provinces of his 
illimitable empire. Possessed of power, wisdom 
and activity, absolutely astonishing, they are rep- 
resented as holding the four winds of Heaven iu 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 127 

their hands, as distinguishing the real worshippers 
of God from those who are not, and as passing 
with a rapidity that exceeds imagination itself, to 
perform the will of their universal sovereign. 



LESSON XL 

ANGELS THE FALL OF. 

Question, The angels were created holy and 
happy : have they all remained holy ? 

Answer. No. God charged some of his an- 
gels with folly. Job iv. 18, ib. xv. 15. John viiL 
44. 1 John iii. 8. 

Q. What was the crime of the angels, for 
which God thus charged them with folly? 

A. The angels sinned, in that they kept not 
their first estate, (or principality) but left their 
own habitation, through pride. Jude vi. 1 Tim. 
iii. 6. 

Q. Were many of the angels involved in this 
sin ? 

A. Yes. The name of the fallen angels is 
legion, for they are many, Mark v. 9, Luke 
vviii. 30. 



128 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Q. What did God do unto the angels that sin- 
ned ? 

A. God spared not the angels that sinned ; but 
cast them down to hell, and delivered them into 
chains of dq^kness, to be reserved unto the judg- 
ment. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Luke x. 18. Jude vi. Rev. 
xii. 9, 12, ib. xx, 1-3, 

Q. By what name is the chief of the fallen an- 
gels called in Scripture ? 

A. The fallen angels have a king over them, 
which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose 
name in the Hebrew tongue, is Abaddon ; but in 
the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon : he is 
also called the Devil and Satan. Rev. ix. 11, ib. 
xii. 10. Mathew xii. 24. 2 Cor. iv. 4, Eph. 
ii. 2, ib. vi. 11, 12. 

Q. The word " Devil," properly, signifies an 
accuser or slanderer ; and the word, Apollyon, 
means a destroyer : do the Scriptures represent 
Satan as having the disposition of a liar and mur- 
derer ? 

A. Yes, The Devil is a murderer from the 
beginning, and abode not in the truth ; because 
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a 
lie, he speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar and 
the father of it. John viii. 44. Gen. iii. 4. Job 
k 9-41, ' Zech. iii. 1.. Rev. xii. 9, 1CL. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 129 

Q. Do these fallen and wicked spirits-) in any 
wise ever interfere with the piety and happiness 
of men ? 

A. Yes. Be sober, be vigilant, because your 
adversary, the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh 
about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter v. 
8. Job i. 6, 7. Mathew xiii. 25, 39. Luke xxii. 
31. Revelation xii. 12. 

Q. In what way do the Devil and his angels 
promote the destruction of men ? 

A. The Devil occasions the destruction of me.ii 
by tempting them to do wickedly, and by pre- 
venting them from doing well. 

Q. Can you mention any instance in which 
the Devil ever influenced men to do wickedly ? 

A. Yes. He beguiled Eve to eat the forbid- 
den fruit — he put into the heart of Judas Iscariot 
to betray the Lord Jesus — and he filled the heart 
of Annanias to lie unto the Holy Ghost. Gen. 
iii. 4. 2 Cor. xi. 3. John xiii. 2. Acts v. 3. 

Q. How does the Devil prevent any from do- 
ing well ? 

A. When any one heareth the word of the 
kingdom* and understandeth it not, £hen cometh 
the Dgvil, and taketh away the word out of his 
heart, lest he should believe and be saved. Luke 
*iii. 12. Mat. xiii. 19. 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4; 



230 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Q. Could those wicked spirits compel men to 
sin, if they did not voluntarily yield to temptation 1 

A. No. Resist the Devil and he will flee from 
you. James iv. 7. Luke x. 17. Rom. xvi. 20. 
1 John ii. 14, ib. v. 18. Eph. vi, 11-16. 

Q. Do not the Scriptures represent ail sinners 
as having the disposition, and being under the 
influence of the wicked one ! 

A. Yes. He that committeth sin is of the 
Devil : for the Devil sinneth from the beginning. 
1 John iii. 8, 12. John viii. 44. Acts xiii. 1Q. 
Ephesians ii. 2. 

Q. If, then, we yield to the temptations of the 
Devil, and sin with the Devil, will not God pun- 
ish us with the Devil ? 

A. Yes. The judge will say to them on his 
left hand, Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire 
prepared for the Devil and his angels. Mathew 
xxv. 41, 45. 

REMARKS. 

First. Angels have sinned. And is there any 
thing absurd in the supposition? "Is there any 
thing incredible, any thing contradictory to reason, 
to the light.of nature, and to the analogy of God's 
works, that, as there are wicked men, there may 
be wicked spirits also ] If evil is allowed to ex- 
ist at all, at what point in the scale of created 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 131 

beings can we decide that it shall be found no 
longer?" "All that, in the .nature of the case, 
seems necessary to accomplish the fall of any 
finite being, is a sufficient temptation. Tempta- 
tion, for aught that now appears, may rise to any 
degree beneath infinite : and there is no more 
reason to suppose the strength of an angel, or 
his habits of virtue, are sufficient to resist all pos- 
sible temptation, than there. is to suppose the 
strength of man is sufficient. The same tempta- 
tion which would overcome the man, might not, 
indeed, overcome an angel : but a temptation 
sufficiently increased to bear some adequate pro- 
portion to his disposition to resist, might ; and 
doubtless would overcome him. Nor is there 
any apparent reason, why God should be obliged 
to secure an angel from falling, any more than 
there is, why he should secure a man." If, there- 
fore, angels are allowed to exist at all, there seems 
no greater improbability that they should have 
sinned, than there is that man should have clone 
so. 

Secondly. Many angels have sinned. We 
know, upon the authority of the saGred oracles, 
that our Lord cast " seven" of those wicked spir- 
its out of Mary Magdalene : and that, from the 
demoniac of Gadara, he ejected a company so 
great as to deserve the name of "legion" But 
what are two individuals beside the whole human 
race ? And what must be the entire army from 
which such detachments as these are allotted te 
the .molestation of solitary individuals? "The 



132 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

parts of tempter and accuser, which are, indeed*, 
by the Holy Ghost, most frequently ascribed to 
Satan, the- Prince of Devils, inasmuch as they 
imply, if not the continual, yet the very frequent 
presence, promptings, and superintendence of 
such an agent with every man, may convince us 
that — as God alone is omnipresent — the name 
Satan is applied to many individuals ; and that 
these individuals are sufficiently numerous to lay 
siege to every heart, and to keep a watch over 
every action of mankind." 

Thirdly- The angels that sinned were cast 
out of Heaven, and are reserved unto the judg- 
ment, to be punished. We commonly hold, that 
the Devils are in hell. The ancient fathers, on 
the contrary, placed their habitation in the air. 
Jerome says, it was the general opinion of the 
doctors of the church, that the air, between the 
heaven and the earth, was filled with evil spirits. 
There- are Scripture reasons for both of these 
suppositions. St, Peter says, that u God spared 
not the angels that sinned ; but cast them down 
to hell" Ctartarus). St. Paul calls Satan, "the 
Prince of the power of the air ;" and Job and Pe- 
ter represent the Devil as "going up and down 
in the earth, and walking to and fro in it." It is, 
therefore, not material, which of these opinions 
we adopt : especially, since their harmony is per- 
fectly easy and natural, in the probability, that the 
leaders, in this fatal conspiracy, are more closely 
confined, with only occasional privileges ; while 
those of their compeers, who were seduced by 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 133 

them into rebellion, are permitted to roam more at 
large over the world. The crime of both, how- 
ever, was the same in its essential elements ; and 
their ultimate destiny is the same. Engaged to- 
gether in rebellion, the utmost rigor of their pun- 
ishment is only suspended for a moment. Desti- 
tute of happiness at present, they stand in con- 
stant anticipation of a far more fearful, and cer- 
tain judgment and fiery indignation, which shall 
devour the adversaries. Mat. viii. 29, ih. xxv. 41. 



LESSON XXI. 

CEE A TI N MAX. 

Question, You said, a few lessons back, that 
on the sixth day of the world, God made man, 
both male and female : out of what did God make 
the body of man ? 

Answer. The Lord God formed man of the 
dust of the ground. Gen. ii. 7, ih. iii. 19, 23. 
Job x. 9. Ps. ciii. 14. EccL xil 7. Is. Mr. 8. 

Q. When man was first formed of the dust, 
did he possess life and breath, as, he now does? 

A. No. But God breathed into his nostrils 
the breath of life ; and man became a living soul. 
G<en. ii. 7, Job xxxiii. 4. Is. ii. 22. Acts xvii. 25. 



134 the catechetical instructor. 

Q. Did not God also give to man a thinking, 
feeling, and immortal spirit ? 

A. Yes*' There is a spirit in man ; and *the in- 
spiration of the Almighty giveth them understand- 
ing. Job xxxii. 8. Pro. xx. 27. Eccl. 12, 7. 
Is. xxxi. 3, ib. xlii. 5. Zech. xii, 1. 1 Cor. xv. 45. 

Q. By what name did God call the man, after 
he had made him, and had given him life and spi- 
rit? 

A. In the day that God created man, male and 
female created he them, and blessed them, and 
he called their name Adam, Gen. v. 1, 2. 

Q, What was the moral and spiritual charac- 
ter of man, as he came from the hand of God ? 

A. God created man in his own image. Gem 
i. 2*7. 1 Corinthians xi. 7. James iii, 9. 

Q. What do you understand by the " image of 
God," in this place ? 

A. The image of God, in which Adam was 
created, consists in knowledge, righteousness, and 
true holiness. Colossians iii. 10. Ephesians iv. 
23, 24. Ecclesiastes vii. 29. 

Q. Where did God place Adam, after he had 
made him in his own image ? 

A. The Lord God planted a garden, eastward 
in Eden ; and there put the man whom he had< 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. IBS' 

formed, to dress and to keep it. Genesis ii. 8, 15. 

Q. Did God make any provision for the happi- 
ness of man, while in the garden of Eden? 

A. Yes. Out of the ground, made the Lord 
God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the 
sight, and good for food : the tree of life also, in 
the midst of the garden, and the tree of the know- 
ledge of good and evil. Gen. ii. 9. Isaiah 1L 3. 

Q. What command did the Lord give to Adam 
concerning the trees of the garden 1 

A. The Lord God command eth the man, saying, 
Of every tree of the garden, thou mayest freely 
eat; except the tree of the knowledge of good 
and evil. Thou shalt not eat of it. Gen. ii. 18, 17. 

Q. What reason did God assign, why Adam 
must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of 
good and evil? 

A. For, said God, in the day that thou eatest 
thereof, thou shalt surely die. Gen. ii .17, th. iii, 
3. Rom. vi. 23. 1 Cor. xv. 56. James i. 15„ 

Q. Did God give to man any authority over 
any other of his works, besides the trees of the 
garden ? 

A. Yes. God blessed them, and said unto 
them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the 
©arth, and subdue it : and have dominion over the 



136 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

fish of the sea, and over the fowl of - the air, and 
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

-Genesis i. 28. Psalms viii. 5-8. 

REMARKS. 

First. The creation of man was attended ivitli 
peculiar ceremony. When the foundations of the 
earth were laid, and the heavens were stretched 
as a curtain, God simply spake and it was done ; 
he commanded, and they stood fast. Rut when 
man, their occupant, was to be created, a solemn 
council was held in the chambers of eternity. 
The Most High said, "Let us make man in our 
image, after our likeness," To whom did God 
thus speak ? Not to man : for man did not yet 
exist. Not to angels : because, (1) angels were 
not parties concerned in the creation of the world : 
and (2) it is not said that man w r as created in the 
likeness of angels, but in the image of God. To 
whom, then, does "«te" refer? It directs our 
thoughts to the mystery of the ever-blessed Trini- 
ty, by whom, in an equal and united sense, man 
was made. Here, the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Ghost — three divine persons, in one God — 
in holy conclave, consult upon the existence, na- 
ture, faculties, relations and destinies of man. 
How fearfully grand are to be the next exhibitions 
of the divine power ! How amazingly awful are 
tfie realities involved in the next act of his Al- 
mighty hand! Who, that has read the opening 
pages of man's subsequent history, feels not, that 
the moment's pause was pregnant with events of 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 137 

the most overwhelming magnitude ? The decree 
has gone forth. Man is formed. 

Secondly. Man was fearfully, and wonder- 
fully made" He is a compound being — com- 
pounded of body and soul. In one organization, 
of the most exquisite texture, are combined all 
the essential elements of the grossest matter, and 
the most refined and ethereal spirit. He was to 
be the connecting link between earth and heaven. 
His body, consisting of more than a million of 
parts — greater and smaller — wrought and inter- 
articulated w r ith the most consummate skill and 
wisdom, in its essence, differed in -nothing from 
the merest clod beneath his feet. His soul, di- 
vine in its origin, and semi-divine in its faculties 
and attributes, we know not, was inferior to the 
most exalted intelligence divine power had ever 
produced. To a form erect, and capable of the 
most easy and graceful motions, was added a 
countenance expressive of the highest intelli- 
gence. The senses — tasting, hearing, seeing, 
&lc* — are, of themselves, worlds of wonder. 
These were to be the avenues of communication 
with this lower world : as reason, imagination, 
hope, memory, will, &c. are the media of inter- 
course, with the world within and the world above. 
How vast are the capacities of the soul ! At one 
bound, imagination sweeps over earth and heaven 
— surveys the illimitable extents of creation- 
counts the stars, and weighs the worlds in a bal- 
ance. Reason checks the precipitate whirl of 
creation — suspends the universe, moral and ma- 
10 



tSS THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

terial upon a poise— calculates its dimensions- 
describes its relations — foretells its wants, its 
destinies and its end. Hope dissipates every cloud, 
surmounts every difficulty, ascends every steep, 
overleaps every barrier, stills every storm and 
tempest ; and, with more than chemical power, 
extracts good out of every event, painful or plea- 
sant, bitter or sweet, prosperous or adverse. 
How wonderous are the powers of the will! 
How amazingly mysterious is its influence ! Dif- 
fusing itself through the whole man, at once it 
acts upon every bone, upon every muscle, and 
upon every fibre — prompting their motions, di- 
recting their course, and compelling their mea- 
sures. It. is the will that loves or hates, chooses 
or refuses, rejoices or mourns, approves or disap- 
proves. It is the will that gives to reason her 
strength— to imagination her brilliancy— and to 
hope her buoyancy. Will keeps the treasures of 
the entire man. What will says, the man does : 
and what will says not, man does not. How ex- 
traordinary is the power of the will ! How won- 
derful is man ! 

Thirdly. We shall hereafter see, that, both 
in a natural and a federal sense, the first man 
involved the whole human race. On the day that 
God made man, he called his name Adam. This 
appellation was generic. It not only distinguish- 
ed man from every other species of existence, but 
it also embraced within its comprehension the 
entire species of man. On the same day, God 
made, in embryo, of one blood all nations of men 



iTIE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 139 

for to dwell on the earth, and determined the 
times before appointed, and the bounds of their 
habitations. He was the father — -they are the 
children. From him sprang so many as the stars 
for multitude, and as the sand upon the seashore 
innumerable. In him, all were -created " upright " 
—were "made in the similitude of God." In 
him, all were " crowned with glory and honor," 
and in an inferior sense, were constituted "the 
lords of creation." In him, was given to all " do- 
minion over the fish of the sea, and over the 
fowls of heaven, and over every living thing that 
moveth upon the earth." In him, as their repre- 
sentative head, all were placed upon probation 
in the garden of Eden : and, as St. Paul called 
those the acts of Levi, which were performed by 
his father, Abraham, generations before-— saying, 
"Levi paid tithes in the loins of his father;" 
(Heb. \ii. 9, 10) so, the acts of their father, Ad- 
am, are accounted to his posterity. When he 
partook of the forbidden fruit, and fell from his 
uprightness, they were implicated in that act and 
in that fall. " By one man's disobedience, many 
were made sinners." "By the offence of one, 
judgment came upon all men to condemnation." 
" By one man, sin entered into the wor^d, and 
death by sin : and so death passed upon all men, 
for that all have sinned." (Rom. v. 12, 18, 19.) 
Fourthly. The first man was created in the 
moral likeness of God, No member of the hu- 
man race ever possessed higher qualifications to 
sustain the representative relations of Adam, than 



140 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

did he himself. To say nothing of the faculties 
and attributes, which his posterity have inherited 
-—but which they, perhaps, possess, in a far infe- 
rior degree— who, of all his descendants, has 
ever come into the world with equal moral advan- 
tages ? His reason was unbeclouded, his will 
was upright, his affections were pure. The sen- 
timents of the moral law were graven on his 
heart. The emotions of his soul vibrated in uni- 
son with the divine loveliness. He heard with- 
out distrust, and confided without reserve. Sin, 
that deadly malaria, had infected no part of his 
nature. He possessed no inordinate desires, no 
fc ungovernable passions, no unhallowed impulses. 
"Knowledge, righteousness and true holiness," 
spread their benign and peaceful influence over 
his entire spirit, and occupied the inner temple of 
his soul without a rival adversary. Such was the 
native condition of his mind, that uninfluenced by 
the tempter, (and we know not, that God was 
obliged to protect either him or his posterity from 
temptation while on a state of trial) godliness, 
righteousness and truth, had been the continued 
and necessary result. But man created in honor 
abode not. He hearkened to temptation, and fell 
from his original uprightness : and is there room 
left to doubt, that under similar circumstances, 
we had acted in like manner ? " Ye are witness- 
es to yourselves, that ye are the children of Ad« 
am," 



LESSON XXII, 

MAN— THE FALL OF. 

Question, In the last lesson, you said, that 
God--having made the first man holy and happy, 
and having placed him in the garden of Eden — - 
commanded him not to eat of the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil ; did he keep that 
command ? 

Answer, No, When the woman saw that the 
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant 
to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one 
wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat: 
and gave also to her husband, and he did eat* 
Gen. iii. 6. 

Q. Was it not a great sin in Adam and Eve, 
thus to violate a known command of God? 

A. Yes it had been better for them not to 
have known the way of righteousness, than after 
they had known it, to turn from the holy com- 
mandment delivered unto them. 2 Peter ii. 21. 
Rom« vii. 13* 



142 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Q. When God came down to inspect their con- 
duct, whether they had obeyed his voice or not. 
what did they do 1 

A. When they heard the voice" of the Lord- 
God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. 
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the pres- 
ence of the Lord among tire trees of the garden* 
Gen. iii. 5. 

Q. Why did they hide themselves ? 

A. Adam said unto the Lord, I heard thy voice 
in the garden, and I was afraid. Gen. iii. 10. 

Q. Did not this show that they felt themselves 
guilty r 

A. Yes. The wicked flee when no man pur- 
sueth : but the righteous are bold as a lion. Pro, 
xxviii. 1. Job xxiv, 13-17. 1 John iii. 20. 21. 
Rev. vi. 15-17, 

Q. How did Adam attempt to excuse the sin 
which he had committed ? 

A, The man said, the woman whom thou gar- 
est to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I 
did eat. Gen. iii. 12. 

Q. What excuse did the woman offer ? 

A. The woman said, the serpent beguiled me* 
and I did eat. Gen. iii. 13. 2 Cor. xi. 3. 

Q. Were these excuses sufficient to justify their 
criminal conduct t 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOB. 14-3 

A. No. No excuse can justify sin. Ex. xxiiL 
7, ib, xxxiv. 7. Job x, 14, ib. xxxvi. 21. Ps. 
Ixvi. 18. Ezek. xviiii. 4. Heb. ix. 22. 

Q. What are we commanded to do when we 
are enticed to do wickedly? 

A. If sinners entice thee, consent thou not, 
Pro. i. 10. Gen. xxxix. 7, 8. Eph. v. 11. 

Q. Is it not wrong to even listen to wicked 
counsel ] 

A. Yes. Cease to hear the instruction that 
causeth thee to err from the words of knowledge. 
Pro. xix. 27. Deut. xiii. 1-4. Ps. i. 1. Jer, 
xxiii. 16, 17. 

Q. How did God express his displeasure to- 
wards the serpent in this instance ? 

A. The Lord God said unto the serpent, Be- 
cause thou hast* done this, thou art cursed above 
all cattle, and above every beast of the field ; 
and upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shait 
thou eat all the days of thy life. Gen. iii. 14, 15. 

Q. What did he say unto the woman ? 

A. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly mul- 
tiply thy sorrow and thy conception ; in sorrow 
shalt thou bring forth children ; and thy desire 
shalt be to thy husband, and he shall rule over 
thee. Gen. iii. 16. 1 Cor. xi. 3, ib. xiv. 34, 



144 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

Eph. v. 22-24, 1 Tim. ii. 11, 14. 1 Pet. iii". 
1-0. f 

Q. What did God say unto the man ] 

A. Unto Adam he said. Because thou hast 
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast 
eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, 
saving, thou shall not eat of it : cursed is the 
ground for thy sake, in sorrow shall thou eat of 
it all the days of thy life. Gen, iii. 17-19. 

Q. Did not the Lord drive them both out from 
the garden of Eden ? 

A. Yes. The Lord God drove out the man, 
and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden 
Cherubim s and a flaming sword, which turned 
every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 
Gen. iii. 23, 24. 

Q. Why did the Lord drive them out from the 
garden of Eden ? 

A. Lest the man should put forth his hand and 
take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for- 
ever. Gen. iii. 22. 

Q. What penalty did God annex to eating the 
forbidden fruit ? 

A. God said, In the day thou eatest thereof, 
thou shalt surely die. Gen. ii, IT, Rom. vi. 23. 
1 Cor. xv. 56. James i, 15, 1 John V. 16, 17. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 145 

REMARKS. 

It is not suited to the designs of the present 
work to enter into an examination of the various 
conjectures which have been instituted respecting 
the extraordinary personage by whom our first 
parents were seduced into sin. Some maintain, 
that no real serpent was intended ; but that their 
seduction was effected immediately by the Devil, 
in person. Others, with equal warmth, contend 
that Satan had no hand in the temptation ; but 
that it was wholly effected by a natural serpent. 
That opinion, which to us seems more probable, 
and which is most commonly held, is, that Satan 
was the agent ; and that a serpent was the instru- 
ment. There is the less reason to doubt this, 
since we know that Satan is represented in Scrip- 
ture as an implacable enemy to God and man ; 
and since he is particularly styled "that old ser- 
pent,, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth 
the whole world." (Rev. xii. 9.) Be this as it 
may, however, their fall was actually accomplish- 
ed, and with them, that of their entire posterity • 
Their sin with its consequences, is that in which 
we are most deeply interested, and demands our 
special attention. 

First — The Sin of Adam. In this we remark* 
(1) A contempt of the divine authority. Adam 
was placed upon probation under a positive law. 
The main difference between a moral and positive 
precept is, that the former is commanded because 
it is right ; the latter is right because it is com- 
manded* The obligation of the one* arises prin- 



146 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 

cipally from its inherent character ; that of the oth- 
er arises solely from the authority whence it ema- 
nates. For this reason it is, that positive precepts 
are reckoned the most proper trial of obedience i 
and for this reason, also, the violation of a positive 
precept is esteemed more blamable conduct, and 
a stronger evidence of the divine contempt, than 
might be found in a transgression of some moral 
obligations. In this instance, obedience and dis- 
obedience must be measured by the same rule; 
and as obedience, in the one case, had been the 
highest mark of respect for the divine authority : 
so the disobedience, in the other, was the highest 
mark of disrespect for that authority. Here was 
the crime of Adam. He not only disregarded all 
the sentiments of the moral law graven on liis 
heart : but he also trampled beneath his feet the 
sovereign authority of the great original of his 
being. 

(2) A contempt of the divine veracity, "The 
Lord is a God of truth " — " his word is true from 
the beginning. 5 ' On this account he demands 
the implicit confidence of .his creatures : and in 
this character, he presented himself before Adam 
in the garden of Eden, forbidding him to " eat of 
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ;" say- 
ing, "In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt 
surely die." In opposition to this, the tempter 
said, "Thou shalt not surely die." To this latter 
declaration he hearkened ; and despising the- ve- 
racity of God not less than his authority, he par- 
took of the interdicted fruit, and did eat. This 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 147 

offence involved the malignity of a disbelief of the 
divine word— the malignity of charging God with 
falsehood. " He that believeth not God, hath 
made him a liar." (1 John v. 10.) 

(3) A crime of deliberation. It is worthy of 
special remark, that the inspired apostle says, 
"Adam was not deceived." (1 Tim. ii, 14, } By 
whatever surprise the woman was taken — how- 
ever ignorant she may have been of the charac- 
ter of the person by whom she was tempted, and 
of the important consequences which her act was 
to involve— nothing of this can be supposed of the 
man. The essential elements of an unwary act, 
were all wanting in his case. He saw, not thro' 
a glass darkly, all the*- relations he sustained to 
God, and to his subsequent posterity-— he beheld 
with open face the divine command, and the coun- 
sels of the tempter — he distinctly understood what 
were to be the rewards of his fidelity, and the 
penalty of his unbelief and sin — he deliberated 
upon the one and the other, and, with calm and 
measured steps, he transcended the limits which 
the infinite sovereign had placed for his feet " He 
took of the fruit of the tree and did eat." For 
this act there were none of the extenuations of 
ignorance — none- of the apologies of deception- 
Whatever contempt of the divine veracuy, or the 
divine authority it showed, the iniquity of his deed 
was heightened by the consideration, that it was. 
performed deliberately and knowingly. 

Secondly — The consequences of Adam's- 
Sin* The consequences of Adam's transgression* 



148 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

as they relate both to himself and his posterity. 
so, they are distinguishable into those which were 
natural and immediate, and those which are pe- 
nal and remote* Of the former remark, 

(1) The loss of the divine image. It is not cer- 
tain how long Adam retained his uncorrupted in* 
nocence. But it is presumed, that, had he dene 
so for a certain length of time — perhaps until the 
identical period when " he heard the voice of the 
Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of 
the day" — he and his posterity had been confirm- 
ed in a state of holiness and happiness forever. 
But alas ! he sinned and the felicity was lost, 
eternally lost. In the stead of a perpetual confir- 
mation in holiness, he ana#they were registered 
in the annals of eternity, as sinners in the divine 
government. The moral likeness of God was 
effaced from his heart, and a transcript of the in- 
fernal tempter was drawn in the stead thereof. 
" Righteousness and true holiness," insulted and 
agrieved, abandoned the earth. The divine knpw- 
ledge was obliterated from the soul ; and man, 
a miserable, moral wreck, was left to wander an 
alien from God and from Heaven. 

(2) The corruption of his nature. The line of 
virtue once crossed, there are no bounds to sin. 
The flood gates of iniquity, broken up, vice, like 
an ever-swelling tide, rushes in upon the soul. 
The first step of revolt corrupted the judgment, 
seared the conscience, estranged the will, and 
poisoned the affections. "The whole head be- 
came sick, and the whole heart was faint." 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 149 

Having cast off his rightful allegiance to God, 
man became the abject and servile panderer to 
every foul and loathsome passion. Malice, envy 
and rage — deceit, hypocrisy and guile — covetous- 
ness and sensuality — all abominations, claimed 
him as their vassal, and led him a willing cap- 
tive into captivity, " He that committeth sin is 
the servant of sin." 

(3) The wiilidrawment of the divine smiles and 
approbation. A smile of benignant pleasure and 
complacency, rested upon the divine countenance, 
as he beheld man wearing his own image, and 
breathing his spirit. Nor did that smile create a 
small part of the bliss of Eden. The recogni- 
tion of his Father's love, imparted unutterable 
joy to the heart of the man, and converted the 
solitary place into a paradise below : and had he 
retained his integrity, that joy had abode as a 
river, and increased as the waves of the sea. 
But man created in honor, abode not ; and with 
his fall, a dark cloud passed over the bright source 
of his bliss. In expression of his displeasure at 
sin, God withdrew the smiles of his love, and man, 
rebellious and fallen, was driven a miserable ex- 
ile from his native garden. With cares and sor- 
rows, and labors multiplying upon his heart, he 
was commanded to go from him, the light of whose 
countenance alone could dispel the sorrows of the 
mind, and give even affliction a joy. 

(4) The disorganization of the natural and 
physical world. We set down the irregularities 
and miseries of the present world among those ef- 



150 TEE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCT OH. 

fects of sin, which are not so much its penal con- 
sequences, as its concomitant and natural result, 
Thev are to sin, what the rigors of the dungeon 
are to capital offence : not the punfshment of 
crime, "bu t God's method of bringing men to the 
retributions of the last day. How incalculably 
great are the miseries of life — miseries superin- 
duced by sin ! O man ! how fatal to the univer- 
sal peace of animated nature, was thy transgres- 
sion. How deep the agonies and pains, with 
which thy posterity enter life ! How abject the 
state in which they pass it through ! Amid what 
heart-readings and tears do they end it ! From 
the cradle to the grave, all is contention and strife 
— all is labor and anxiety— all is vanity and vexa- 
tion of spirit. 



LESSON XXIII. 

SIX ORIGINAL AND UNIVERSAL. 

Question. What relation did Adam sustain to 
the rest of the human race ? 

Answer, Adam sustained to the rest of the hu- 
man race both a natural, and a federal relation. 

Q. What do you mean by a natural relation ? 

A. A natural relation is that which a father 
bears to his son. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTKUCTOK. 151 

Q. What is a federal relation ? 

A. A federal relation is that, in which one per- 
son represents another in the eyes of the law. 

Q. Can you give an example of a natural rela- 
tion ? 

A. Yes. Adam was naturally related to the 
son, whom he begat in his own likeness. 

Q. Can you give an example of a federal rela- 
tion ? 

A. Yes. When one person stands in behalf 
of another, so that the acts of the former are char- 
ged to the account of the latter, there will be a 
federal relation between them. 

Q. If then, Adam sustained a natural relation 
to the whole human race, are not all men, in a 
proper sense, his descendants ? 

A. Yes. Of one blood hath God made all na- 
tions of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, 
and hath determined the times before appointed, 
and the bounds of their habitations. Acts xvli. 
.26. 

Q. In like manner, if he sustained a federal 
relation to all men, must not all men have been 
involved in the guilt and condensation of his fall ? 

A. Yes. By one man's disobedience many 
were made sinners : and by the offence of one., 



152 THE CATECHETICAL INSTIUICTOR. 

judgment came upon all men to condemnation. 
Rom. v. 12-19. 

Q. What do the Scriptures say concerning the 
corruption of the human race ? 

A. God looked upon the earth, and behold, it 
was corrupt : for all flesh had corrupted his way 
upon the earth. Gen. vi. 12. Ps. x. 2*-ll, ib. 
xiv. 1-3, ib. xxxvi. 1-4. Is. lix. 2-8. Rom. i. 
21-32, ib. ii. 1, ib. iii. 9-19. Gal. iii. 22. 

Q. Do not all persons discover a wicked and 
depraved disposition very early in life ] 

A. Yes, The wicked are estranged from the 
womb ; they go astray as soon as they be born, 
speaking lies. Ps. lviii. 3-5. Job xx. 11. Pro. 
xxii. 15. Eccl. ix3. Is. xlviii. 8. 

Q. Is it not, therefore, certain, that infants are 
born into the world under guilt and condemnation? 

A. Yes. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity : 
and in sin did my mother conceive me. Ps. li. 5. 
Gen. v. 3. Job xi. 12 3 ib. xiv. 4. John iii. 6, ib. 
ix. 34. Eph. ii. 3. 

Q. What, then, becomes of those who die in 
infancy ? 

A. Children dying in infancy would be lost, if 
the sovereign and mysterious grace of God did not 
renew and save them. 2 Sam. xii. 16-23. Mat. 
xix. 13, 14, ib. xx, 15. John iii. 8. Rom. ix. 14-16. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 153 

REMARKS. 

■ Original sin, is that corruption of our nature 
which was derived from Adam — the natural and 
federal head of an entire race — and in which all 
our actual sins originate. It is not for us to find 
fault with the doctrine of original and inherited 
depravity: especially, since God hath observed 
the same system of imputation in man's recovery 
and justification, as in his fall and condemnation,. 
It is beyond all contradiction, that " Adam begat 
a son in his own likeness" — that, "that which 
is born of the flesh is flesh/' and " walketh alter 
the flesh" — that " no one can bring -a- clean- thing 
out of an unclean " — that " man is born as the 
wild ass' colt" — that "folly is bound up in the 
heart of a child ,? — that "the heart of the sons of 
men, is fully set in them to do evil " — that " mars 
is a transgressor from the womb " — that " by one 
man's disobedience many were made sinners "« 
that "by the offence of one, judgment came upon 
all men to condemnation " — that " by nature we 
are all the children of wrath even as others." (Gen. 
iii. 6. John iii. 6. Rom. vi.i. 5. J<>b xiy. 4, 
db. xi. 12. Pro. xxii. 15. EccL ix. 3. Is. xlviL 8. 
Rom. v. 18, 19. Eph. 2, 3) We, therefore, 
subjoin the following, as additional evidence of 
the universality of sin : 

First. All men everywhere acknowledge the 
necessity for an atonement for sin. It is not ma* 
terial to this argument, what form of religion men 
practise ; nor, yet, what satisfaction They consid- 
er sufficient lor the offences they commit. There 
11 



154 THE CATECHETICAL IXSTRFCTOEV 

is in every nation, and among every tribe, a re- 
cognition of crime ; and a conviction that some 
satisfaction is necessary in order to propitiate its 
offended deity. Every nation on earth, has some 
form of religious rites and ceremonies. Every 
nation has its temples, its altars, its priests, and 
its sacrifices. Every nation is wont to confess 
sin — is wont to deplore crime — is wont to suppli- 
er e a divinity, who is esteemed to be justly in- 
censed at the moral defection ot the people. 

Si:coxdlv. Chris* lias offered a satisfaction 
for sin, universal in its extent, " God so loved 
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth on him, should not per- 
ish, but have everlasting life," "It any man 
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus 
Christ the righteous ; and he is the propitia- 
tion for our sins : and not for ours only, but 
also, for the sins of the whole world." The use 
which the apostle Paul makes of this doctrine is, 
that all men needed such a sacrifice. "Because. 
S3 d he, we thus judge, that if one died for all. 
then were all dead ; and that he died for all." 
2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 

Thirdly. " God commandeth all men every 
where to repent" The doctrine of repentance is 
based upon the supposition that man is a sinner ; 
and as a duly, it can relate only to such. Hence, 
said our Lord, " we come, not to call the right- 
eous, but sinners to repentance :" and the apostle, 
"I perceive that thy heart is not right in the sight 
ok God: wherefore, Repent of this thy wicked- 



fHE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 155 

lifess." Indeed, there can be no repentance 
where there is no sin : and a universal command 
to repent, implies the universal existence of sine 

Fourthly. It is declared, that without faith 
in Christ, no man can be saved. " He that be- 
lieveth on the Son, hath everlasting life ; and he 
that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but 
the wrath of God abideth on him." " He that be- 
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that 
believeth not shall be damned." These declara- 
tions extend with equal force to every man, of 
every nation, and in every age of the world, In 
one universal fall, all are concluded in unbelief 
and sin ; and the Jew can be justified alone by 
faith ; and the Gentile alone through faith. "As 
in Adam all die, even so in Christ must all be 
made alive." 

Fifthly. In like manner it is said, that no 
man can be saved without regeneration. " Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted, 
and become as little children, ye cannot enter 
into the kingdom of heaven." " Except a man 
be born of the spirit and of water, he cannot en- 
ter into the kingdom of God." The doctrine of 
regeneration implies, that the nature of man is 
depraved — that this depravity is a disqualification 
for the kingdom of heaven — and that it must be 
taken away, as a prerequisite to its enjoyment : 
and the universality of this requisition, is abso- 
lute evidence of the universality of human depra- - 
vity. 

Sixthly. We are witnesses to ourselves, that 
sin* like a deadly malaria, has infected our entire 



156 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

race. How little confidence doe? man repose in 
his fellow man ! and how multitudinous are the 
means of defence, with which they are ever and 
anon providing themselves, against the endless 
outbreaks of vice i To refer alone to the mean.* 
furnished and sanctioned by law, for the safety 
of our persons and propertj — the bolts, bars and 
locks — the botes bonds and deeds — the jails and 
dungeons, the chains and galleys — the post, the 
pillory and the gibbet, by which we secure our 
houses, pi event the mischiefs of fraud and vio- 
lence, punish seme offenders, or deter others from 
similar nefarious perpetrations : all these, and the 
like, are gloomy and dreadful proofs of the cor- 
ruption or ihe world in which they exist. They 
exi^t in all places, wherever men are found, of 
sufficient capacity, and under proper circumstan- 
ces, to attempt a reg isition to crimes, a 
continued preservation of peace, and a general 
iishment of personal safety. The sinfulness 
wh<cfa ine j are intended to lesist, is, tlieiefore, 
equaLy universal. 



LESSON XXIV. 

THE LAW. 

Question. What is the sum of the whole law 
of God ? 

Answer. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and witk 



i 



^RB CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. X57 

alLthy strength, and with all thy mind : and thj 
ne^fhbor as thyself. Luke x. 27. Deut. vi. 5. 
ib. x. 12. Lev. xix. 18. Mat. vii. 12, ib. xix, 
19, ib. xxii. 36-40. Rom. xiii. 8-10. Gal. y. 
14. 1 John iv. 7, 20, 21. 

Q, Is there any thing unreasonable or unjust 
in the requisitions of God's law ? 

A. No. The law is holy ; and the command- 
ment holy, and just, and good. Rom. vii. 12> 
Ps, xix. 7-10. Mic. vi. 8. 1 Tim. i. £-10. 

<i. What kind of obedience does the law re- 
quire ?- 

A. The law requires continual and universal 
obedience : for it is written, Cursed is every one 
that continueth not in all things, written in the 
book of the law to do them. Gal. iii. 10 Deut. 
xxvii. 26. Jer. xi. 3. Ezek. xviii. iv, Jas. i, 15. 

Q. If Adam, and all his posterity, had invaria- 
bly kept the law from the first — loving God su- 
premely, and their neighbor as themselves, would 
they not have been happy forever ? 

A. Yes. If there had been no sin, there had 
been no condemnation. 

Q. But have not all men violated the great 
principles involved in the law ? 

A. Yes. Bv one man, sin entered into ths 



Rom. 



lt)8 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 

world, and death by sin : and so death hath 
ad upon all men, for that all have sinned, 
v. 15. Gen. vi. 12. Rom. ii. 14, 15, ib. iii. 9-19« 
(Gal. iii. 22. 

Q. What is sin ? 

A. Sin is a transgression of the law. 1 John 
iii. 4. Rom. iii. 20, ib. iv. 15, ih, v. 13, ib. vii e 
9. 1 Cor. xv. 56. 

Q. Does the law of God condemn all unright- 
eousness as sin ? 

A. Yes. Whosoever shall keep the whole 
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of 
all. James ii. 10. Mat a v. 19. Gal, iii. lQ e 
1 John v. 17. 

Q. Since, then, the law condemns all unright- 
eousness ; and since all have sinned, are not all 
men under the condemnation of the law ? 

A. Yes. As many as are under the law, are 
under the curse of the law. Gal. iii. 10. Rom= 
iii. 19, ib. iv. 15., ib. vii. 8-11. 

Q. Can any man now be justified by his own 
works ? 

A. No. By the deeds of the law, there shall 
no flesh be justified in the sight of God. Rom. 
iii. 20. Job ix. 23, ib. xxv. 4-6, Ps. cxliii. 2. 
Romans iv. 2. Gal. ii. 16, ib, iii. 11, ib, v. 4. 
Tit, iii, 5, 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 159 

■•"'Q,. Is any man able to atone for the sins of 
another man ? 

A. No. None of them can by any means re- 
deem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for 
him. Ps. xliii. 7-9. Job ix. 32, 33. 

Q. Can any man possibly bring a sufficient 
atonement for his own sins ? 

A. No. The Lord will not be pleased with 
thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of riv- 
ers of oil. If I give my first born for my trans- 
gression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my 
soul, it will avail, nothing. Mich. vi. 7. Ps, h 
7-17, ib. li. 16. Is. ixvi. 3. Heb. vii. 18, ib* 
x, 1-4. 

REMARKS. 

" The law entered that the offence might 
abound." Here was the design of the moral 
law. It was not given as a covenant of works, 
in the observance of which, man might be saved : 
but simply as a means by which the extent and 
enormity of sin might be illustrated. As Jn eve- 
ry thing else, the mind becomes informed by 
dwelling on particulars ; so "by the specifications 
of the law is -the knowledge of sin." (Rom. iiL 
20.) For this reason, also, the penalty of sin 
was not repeated in the giving of the moral lair, 
as in the case of the law given to Adam in th^ 
.garden. Nevertheless, we may remark. 



160 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

First. The obligations of the moral law are 
absolute. Their foundation is laid in the relation 
of beings. It were impossible that intelligent 
creatures should exist, related to the divine Crea- 
tor, without being at the same time under obliga- 
tion to love him, in the manner described in the 
law : and it were equally impossible that they 
should exist related to each other, as are men and 
angels, without b- ing under obligation to love 
oaoh other in that infeiior degree which the same 
law describes. 

Secondly. The requisitions of the moral law 
are reasonable. God c<>uld claim nothing, either 
ior himself, or in behalf of his creatures, which 
right reason did not approve. "'What doth the 
Lord require of thee, but that thou shouldst love 
mercy, do justly, and walk humbly with thy God? 
— but that, "whatsoever ye would that men should 
do unto you, ye should do also unto them ? — but 
that ye should render unto Csesar the things that 
are Cassar's ; and unto God the things that are 
God's ?" Less than this, reason, could not de- 
mand. 

Thirdly. The obligations of the moral law 
are universal. (1) As to duties. It embrace? 
every positive precept, the reason of which we 
may not see at first, not less than those requisi- 
tions, the reason of which we do see : and be- 
cause God cannot positively command any thing 
which his relations to the universe do not author- 
ize him to do, or which it w r ould be wrong and 
sinful in his creatures to perform, therefore his 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 161 

}k)sitive precepts are equally binding with the ar- 
ticles of the decalogue. (2) As to subjects. Ev- 
ery intelligent creature in heaven, earth, or hell* 
is under the regulations of the moral law. Vir- 
tue in heaven, is a conformity to this law : and^ 
vice on earth or in the world of despair, is a dis- 
eonformity to its requisitions. The infant is born 
under it ; and the heathen, who have not the writ- 
ten law, show by their acts of accusing or else 
excusing one another, that ihe work of the law is 
written on their hearts. (3) As to the extent of 
its demands. The law extends its dominion over 
every faculty of men and angels. God requires 
of no being more than he has 'physical ability 
to do : but he does require to the utmost of that 
ability, He lays a levy upon every mental and 
bodily power : and demands, that " thou love him 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
all thy strength, and with all thy mind : and thy 
neighbor as thyself." 

Fourthly. The obligations of the moral Jaw 
am perpetual. The ceremonial and judicial laws 
of the Jews, originating in the necessities of a 
temporary occasion, were designed only for a tern-- 
porary existence ; and were abolished, the one 
with the death of Christ, and the other with the 
dispersion of thair nation. The moral law, on 
the contrary, originating in the relations of be- 
ings, extends unalterably through a duration com- 
mensurate with the existence of those relations. 
In all time, and in all places, it is the rule and 
measure of right and wrong : and we may as 



lt>2 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

readily imagine, that the necessary distinction 
between right and wrong shall cease to exist — so 
that right will be no more right, and wrong will 
be no more wrong; as that the moral law, the 
rule of the one, and the measure of the other, 
should be abrogated. There can be no sin where 
there is no law ; and no condemnation where 
there is no sin ; and by consequence, men will 
cease to commit sin, and the wicked will cease to 
be condemned, in the day when God blots out 
this law from the annals of eternity. Those who 
are saved, will not, indeed, be saved on the ground 
that they have fulfilled the law ; but they will be 
saved in perfect harmony with the law fulfilled in 
the person" of their substitute : and those who are 
lost to the- latest ages, will be condemned as vio- 
lators of this law. The devotions of heaven will 
recognize the claims of the inoval law; and this 
law will constitute the strength of the chains of 
hell. Like its divine original, it Avas always holy, 
just and good ; and without variableness or shad- 
ow of turning, will remain thus forever. We 
therefore infer, 

(1) The iniquity of sin. Every sin originates 
in a principle of corruption and depravity ; and 
in its essential elements partakes of the charac- 
ter of the first transgression. It is a wonton in- 
fraction of the divine command, and a criminal 
contempt of the divine authority, Na}*, it is a 
violation of natural justice, common reason, and 
the necessary relation of beings. No man can 
commit sin, without withholding from the deity 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 16S 

tthat to which he has a just and soverign right; 
and from his fellow man that, to which the prin- 
ciples of universal equity entitle him. Hence, to 
be a sinner,* is to be unrighteous. "All unright- 
eousness is sin," 

(2) Sinners are condemned righteously and just- 
ly. "Every man consents unto the law, that it 
is good" — that were it strictly and universally 
obeyed, this world — with all its storms and tem- 
pests- — with all its " hailstones and fire " — with 
all its plagues and diseases — were a Paradise 
still. " Out of thine own mouth, shalt thou be 
condemned, O thou wicked servant." Why ac- 
knowledge that the law is holy, just and good, and 
yet do not what it says ? It avails nothing to say, 
that "we are carnal sold under sin." This were 
the same as if we should say, " We do not keep 
the law, because we love to transgress it." And 
■will not the Almighty avenge himself of his adver- 
saries ? " When he shall arise to contend with 
thee, thou wilt not be able to answer him one of 
a thousand. ' ' 

(3) The impossibility of being justified by works. 
It is self-evident, that no subsequent act of obedi- 
ence to a violated law which, during our entire 
existence, taxes every possible ability, can in any 
wise atone for the sins that are past. Upon that 
supposition, supererogation is out of the question* 
In no one instance, before or after, can man gli- 
der to the law more than the obedience of tnat 
moment requires. It is equally certain, that fidel- 
ity to no other law will wash away the sins against 



164 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR; 

the moral law. This observation applies, with 
peculiar forces to the statutes of the land, the cer- 
emonies of the church, the punctilios of the closet, 
and to every other expedient by wl^ich man at- 
tempts to expiate his own sins. Such acts are 
either embraced in the requisitions of the divine 
law, or they are not. If they are not. their per- 
formance cannot fulfill that law ; if they are, pres'*- 
ent obedience cannot satisfy for past disobedience 
— it can avail only for the present moment. What 
though " Naaman, captain of the hosts of the 
king of Syria, was a great man with his master, 
and honorable, and a mighty man in valor"? 
Still, " he was a leper." And what though we 
sustain ali the relations of the world, to the ad- 
miration of our fellow men ? Still we are sin- 
ners : • and no effort of our own can take away 
that sin. " If there had been a law given, which 
could have given life; then, verily, righteousness 
had been by the law. But the Scripture hath 
concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith 
of Jesus Christ might be given to them that be- 
iieve. (Gal. iii. 21, 22.) 



LESSON XXV. 

TOTAL DEPRAVITY. 

QCestiox. You said that the law is reasonable 
and good : why, then, do not men keep the law ? 



-THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 16B 

A. Because the carnal mind is enmity against 
# God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither 
indeed, can be. Romans viii. 7. John v. 42* 
Eph. iv. 18, 19. Col. i 21. 

Q. Are the hearts of ail men wicked and de- 
praved ? 

A. Yes. The heart is deceitful above all things 
and desperately wicked. Jer. xvii. 9, Deut. v. 
29. 1 Kings ii. 44. Ps. x. 6-10. EccL viii. 
11, ib. ix. 3. Acts viii. 21, 22. 

Q. Does all the conduct of men proceed from 
their wicked hearts ? 

A. Yes. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, 
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false wit- 
ness, blasphemies : and these are the things which 
defile a man. Mat. xv. 19,20. Job xxxi. 1. Ps. 
1. 21, ib. xcv. 10. Pro. iv. 23. Is. xliv. 20. Hos. 
iv. 12. Mark vii. 21, 23. Rom. vii. 7. Jas. i. 
15, 1 John iii. 15. 

Q. Can any thing religiously good come out 
of the wicked hearts of men ? 

A- No. God saw that the wickedness of man 
t was great in the earth ; and that every imagina- 
tion of the thoughts of his heart was only evil 
continually. Gen. vi. 5. Ezra ix. 6. Ps. xxxviii. 
4, ib. xL 12. Pro. xv. 26, ib. xxiv. 9. Eccl. viL 



286 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRtfCTOK. 

29. Mat. vii. 16-20, ib. xii. 34-37. Luke xvL 
15. Eph. ii. 1-3. 

Q. In what manner does God regard the ways 
of wicked men ? 

A. The way of the wicked is an abomination 
unto the Lord. Pro. xv. 9,* Job xv. 16. Ps. 5. 
4-6, ib. x. 3, Pro, vi. 16-19. Jer. xliv. 4, Ezek. 
xi. 21i 

Q. To what are sinners compared, that repre- 
sent their loathsomeness in the sight of God? 
. A. Sinners are compared to a body covered 
with " wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores " 
■ — to " an open sepulchre, filled with all manner 
of uncleanness "—and to " a body of death." Is. 
i. 6. Mat. xxiii. 27 28, Rom. vii. 24. 

Q. It was a law among the Jews, if a man was 
found diseased with the leprosy, he should be ex- 
pelled from the society of his people, and permit- 
ted to have no further intercourse wi'h them : 
will not God, in the last day, expel all those who 
continue in sin from the society of the good, for- 
ever? 

A. Yes. The Son of man shall send forth his 
angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom 
all things that offend, and them that do iniquity, 
and shall cast them into a furnace of fire : there 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 16T : 

shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mat, 
xiii. 41, 42, 49, 50. Ps. i. 5. Mai. iii. 18. Mat. 
iii. 12, ib* xxv. 31-45. Rom. iL 6-1L 2 Thes, 
1,6-10. 

REMARKS. 

It is confidently believed, that a careful exami-* 
ilation of the numerous Scripture references in 
the lesson above, will abundantly satisfy the im- 
partial reader that, in the divine estimation, the 
nature of man is totally depraved and wicked — 
that it is wholly estranged and " alienated from 
the life of God "—that "the carnal mind is enmi- 
ty against God" — -that " every imagination of the 
thoughts of the heart is only evil, and that con- 
tinually " —and that "- sin by the commandment is 
exceeding sinful." Nevertheless, 

First. Total depravity does not consist in the 
numerical greatness of sin. The number of our 
sins is passing great. Sljfculd the best man of 
our fallen race write clown a list of such of his 
offences as an imperfect memory might recall — »- 
sins of commission and of omission — sins of pride 
and of passion— sins of youth and of riper years 
—sins of deliberation and of inadvertency — sins 
of word and deed— sins directly against God, and 
sins against his fellow men--sins committed in 
every place publicly and privately: he would be 
overwhelmed with astonishment at the long, dark 
catalogue. But how small a part of his actual 
iniquities would such a list contain ! What vast 
numbers have entirely escaped our recollection ! 



aes 



THE CATECHETICAL IXSTRUCTOB. 



What multitudes were committed, of which the 
mind, in the heat of excitement, the whirl of plea- 
sure, or the hurry of business, never took any 
cognizance ! In numberless instances, the divine 
law was infringed, when blinded by interest, or 
.the infatuation of gain, we even esteemed our 
crimes a virtue: (Pro. xx. 14) and "called evil 
good, and good evil ; put darkness^ for light, and 
light for darkness ; put bitter for sweet, and sweet 
for bitter," (Is. v. 20.) "Our iniquities are in- 
creased over our head ; and our trespass is grown 
up unto the heavens." (Ezra ix. 6. Ps. xxxviii. 
4, ?b. xl. 12.) But it is not in the multitude ot^ 
these, that total depravity consists. Were this so, 
then the youth and the infant were not totally de- 
praved. 

S*- coldly. Total depravity does -not -consist in 
the circumstantial aggravation of si?is. No sin 
in the divine guvernmua:. is to be considered a tri- 
fle : nevert;,e;ess. there is a circumstancial differ- 
ence in the enormity of crimes. Some sins are 
more heinous than othejs. There is a sin of ig- 
norance, and a sin against knowledge. There is 
a presumptuous transgression, and a secret fault. 
Theie is a pardonable offence, and an offence 
which is unpasdonable. (Mark iii. 28, 29. 1 
John v. 16, 17.) 'I he degree of our knowledge 
and deliberation ; the position we occupy and the 
relations we sustain ; the office we bear and the 
influence we exert — these are the casualties 
which, by increasing our responsibilities, give to 
crime its multiform shades of turpitude. What 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 169 

malignancy enters into that man's sins who, mad- 
ly breaking over the restraints of the salutary 
training of his youth, and gathering obstinacy 
and strength with increasing years, precipitates 
his ruin through a flood of gospel light and mer- 
cy ! (John iii. 19, ib. xv, 22, 25.) If to this he 
add the responsibilities of a father, the character 
of a statesman, and the wide extended influence 
of an infidel author, poisoning the streams of 
knowledge to the latest period of time, that ma- 
lignity is increased in a proportionate ratio. But, 
after we have invested 'actual sin with all the 
shades of blackness and darkness— with all the 
features of odiousness and shame of which it is 
susceptible, still it is not here that we are to look 
for total depravity. If this were so, then but few, 
if any, are totally depraved. 

Thirdly^ Total depravity does not consist in 
a 'physical incapacity to perform an act legally 
good before God. God has never required of man 
more than he had the physical capacity to do : 
and if man is at present wholly unable to fulfill 
the law, it is not for the want of any natural 
ability. Nevertheless, as in human governments, 
•the moment sentence of capital condemnation 
passes upon an offender, he is regarded dead, so 
that no act he may thereafter perform will be con- 
sidered legal— not even to the making of a will : 
so, in the divine government, sin is a capital of- 
fence ; and the moment it has been committed, 
the sinner is legally dead ; and thenceforward, in 
the eyes of the law, all his good works (which 
12 



170 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

we grant him to perform) are null and void. From 
that instant, he is wholly incapacitated to put 
forth so much as a will, which the law will re- 
cognize as valid. All his natural power, to the 
contrary notwithstanding, he is " dead in trespass- 
es and sins "—he is a "child of wrath even as 
others." (Eph. ii. 1-3.) But it is not in this 
legal incapacity that total depravity consists. 

Fourthly. Total depravity consists in a prin- 
ciple of sin and wickedness in the heart of every 
individual of our race. It is not a bad head ; 
but a bad heart — not a bad education, but a bad 
disposition— not an evil fortune to be born under 
these or those circumstances, but a bad charac- 
ter within, that flows out into wickedness under 
any circumstances of life — in any clime — in any 
age of the world. It is a principle of alienation 
from the life of God ; (Eph. iv. 18) of enmity 
against him, and of insubjection to his righteous 
law : (Rom. viii. 7) in a word, it is a principle of 
selfishness which enters essentially into every 
purpose, feeling, and affection of the heart. Men 
are lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. 
(2 Tim. iii. 2-4.) Self— self-love, self-importance, 
self-sufficiency, self-seeking, self- glory— this is 
the alpha and omega of the native character of eve- 
ry man. " Who but myself is the centre and cir- 
cumference of the world ! For me the sun rises, 
and the rains descend ! For me the seasons re- 
volve, and God himself lives ? All things were 
made for me, and in my pleasure, let all things 
find their end." These are the real sentiments 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 171 

-of all, and each of our fallen race. By them 
even the deity is dethroned ; and man, poor worm 
of the dust, is deified. Henceforth he is now the 
supreme — the sole arbiter of his powers, of his 
affections, and of his life. The sovereignty of 
God is practically denied ; his authority contemn- 
ed ; his service abandoned, and his glory tram- 
pled under foot. Here is the fountain of a sinful 
life, and the aggravation of criminal conduct. 
This is the extreme of sin. "The carnal mind 
is enmity against God : for it is not subject to ih% 
law of God, neither, indeed, can be," 



PART III 



LESSON XXVI. 

COVENANT OF REDEMPTION 

Question. What is a covenant? 

Answer. A covenant is a contract, or an agree- 
ment, between two or more persons, to perform a 
specified business. 

Q. What is the covenant of redemption ? 

A. The covenant of redemption is that agree- 
ment to save sinners, which was formed by the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — three equal 
and divine persons. 

Q. Do the Scriptures any where speak of a 
covenant of redemption ? 

A. Yes. In many places, the Scriptures al- 
lude to a covenant on the part of the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost to save sinners. Ps. ii 
6, ib. Ixxxix, 3, 4, 19, 20, Is. xlii. l-7 a John 



F75 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

vi. 27. Ps. xl. 7, 8. Is. xlviii. 16, ib. 1. 5, 6, £& 
ixi. 1-3. John v. 30, i&. vi. 38-40. Is. xliv. 3, 
4. Joel ii. 28. Luke xxiv. 49. Acts ii. 32, 33. 
Gal. iii. 4. 



Q. In the covenant of redemption, what did 
the Son engage to do ? 

A. The Son engaged to bring in everlasting 
righteousness and plenteous redemption, that God 
might be just, and justify every one that believeth 
in Jesus. Is. xlii. 19-21, ib. liiL 11. Jer. xxiii. 
9. Dan. ix. 24. Ps. cxxx. 7. Luke ii. 38. Rom. 
iii. 21-26. 1 Cor. i. 30. Heb. ix. 12-15. 

Q. Was it not necessary, in order to fulfill this 
covenant engagement, that the Son should be sub- 
jected to great humiliation and suffering ? 

A, Yes. Forasmuch as the children of men 
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself 
likewise took part of the same, that through death 
he might destroy him that had the power of death, 
thatjs, the devil ; and deliver them, who, through 
fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to 
bondage. Heb. ii: 14, 15. Luke xii: 50. John 
i: 14, ib. xii: 27. Gal, iv: 4, 5. Phil, ii: 6-8. 
1 Pet. iii. 18. 

Q, Did the Son undertake the salvation of man* 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. V& 

kind, upon such humiliating and painful conditions, 
of his own choice, or was he compelled to do so] 
A. In the covenant of redemption, the Son was 
voluntary : he loved us, and gave himself for us, 
an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet smell- 
ing savour. Eph. v: 2. John x: 17, 18, ib. xvii: 19. 
Gal. i: 4, ib. ii: 20. 1 Tim. ii: 5, 6. Tit. ii: 13, 14. 



Q. Did the Father promise to confer any pecu- 
liar privileges and honors upon the Son, on account 
of his voluntary condescension and death ? 

A. Yes. We see Jesus, who was made a lit- 
tle lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, 
crowned with glory and honor. Heb. ii: 9. Ps. 
ii: 7-9, ib. lxxxix: 27. Dan. vii: 13, 14, Mat. 
xxviii: 18. Luke i: 32. John iii: 35, ib. v: 22, 27. 
Acts ii: 36. Rom. xiv: 9. 1 Cor. xv: 27. Eph. 
i: 20-22. Phil, ii: 6, 11. Heb. i: 2-4. 1 Pet 
iii: 22. Rev. xvii: 14. 

Q. Did not the Father also guarantee the Son, 
that his death should not be in vain, but that there- 
by, a portion of the human race should certainly 
be saved? 

A. Yes. Thus saith the Lord, because he hath 
poured out his soul unto death, I will divide him 
a portion with the great, and he shall divide the 



176 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR.. 

spoil with the strong. Is. liii. 12. Ps. lxxxix. 
35-37. Is. ix: 6, 7, ib. liii: 10, 11. John vi: 37, 
ib. x: 15, 16, ib. xvii: 2, 6, 9, 24. Rom, viii: 29 f 
30. Eph. i: 3-5, 



Q. What is the office of the Holy Ghost ? 

A. The office of the Holy Spirit is to convince 
the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment ; to take of the things of Christ and shew 
them unto us ; and to lead us into all truth. John 
xvi: S-15, ib. xiv: 26. 

Q. Could any man believe on the Son, in a 
saving manner, without the influences of the Ho- 
ly Spirit ? 

A. No. No man can say that Jesus is the 
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Cor. xii: 3; 
Ps. Iviii: 3-5. Mat. xiii: 11, ib. 16, 17. John 
vi: 44, 45. Acts xviii: 17. 1 Cor. ii: 6-10. 2 
Cor. iv: 3-6. Eph. ii: 8. Phil, i: 29. 

Q, Was the Holy Spirit, with all his gifts and 
influences, promised to the Son in the covenant 
of redemption ? 

A. Yes. The Lord said, I will pour my Spirit 
upon thy seed ; and my blessing upon thine off- 
spring ; and they shall spring up as among the 
grass, and as willows by the water-courses. Is. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 171 

xliv: 34. Ps. civ: 30, ib. ex: 3. Is. xxxii: 15. 
Joel ii: 28. Luke xxiv: 49. John vii: 38, 39, ib. 
xiv: 16, 26, ib. xv: 26. Acts ii: 32, 33. Gal. iv: 6. 



Q. When was the covenant of redemption 
made— -embracing all these great and interesting 
matters ? 

A. The covenant of redemption was made be- 
fore the world was created, or time began. Pro* 
viii: 22-36. Mic. v: 2. Rom. xvi: 25, 26. Eph. 
i: 4-7, ib. iii: 9-11. 2 Tim. i: 9, 10. Tit. i: 1- 
3. 1 Pet. i: 18-21. 

Q. After the Son had covenanted to die for sin- 
ners, did he not come into the world subject to the 
will of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit ? 

A. Yes, He said, And now the Lord God and 
his Spirit hath sent me ; and I came down from 
heaven, not to do mine own will ; but the will of 
Mm that sent me. Is. xliv: 16. John vi: 38. Ps. xL 
6-8. Is- 1: 5, 6, ib. liii: 10. Zech. xiii: 7. Mat, 
xxvi: 10-12. Luke iv: 14. John i: 33, 34, ib. HI 
34jjhil: ii. 8. Heb. iii: 5, 6 9 ib. v: 5-8, ib. x: 6-10, 

(£. Was not the Holy Spirit in like manner, 
sent into the world subject to the will of the Fa- 
ther, and of the Son ? 

A. Yes. Jesus said, I will send the Comforter 
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth. 



ITS THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 

which proceedeth from the Father. John xv: 26. 
Acts ii: 32, 33. 

Q. Now thai the Son and the Spirit have faith- 
fully performed their part in the covenant of re- 
demption, will not the Father, also, graciously 
and faithfully pardon and accept all who come 
unto him believing on Christ ? 

A. Yes. If we confess our sins, he is faithful 
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 
from all unrighteousness. 1 John i: 9. Pro v. 
xxviii: 13. Is. xlii: 21. Mat. iii: 17. John x. 
9. Rom, iv: 16. 2 Cor. v. 18-21. Gal, iii: 22. 
Eph. ii: 18, ib. iii: 11, 12. Heb. vi: 17, 20, ib. 
x: 19-22. 

Q. Is there any other appointed way, whereby, 
sinners may approach unto God with acceptance, 
than by his Son Jesus Christ ? 

A. No. Jesus saith, I am the way, and the 
truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the Fa- 
ther, but by me. John xiv: 6. Acts iv: 12. Mark 
xvi: 16. John iii: 18, 19, ib. viii: 21-24. 

REMARKS. ^l 

First. We have said that the covenant c^re- 
demption was formed between the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Ghost : not that we pretend to decide 
the long disputed question, concerning " the eter- 
nal generation of the Son;" but because, in this 






THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 170 

relation, the persons of the adorable trinity are 
ordinarily represented, as engaged in the execu- 
tion of that remedial scheme, which is alike the 
happiness of the world, and the glory of eternity. 
Whatever reasons, in our private judgment, may 
preponderate on this subject, in the present work, 
we would sedulously avoid, as far as truth shall 
allow, every arena of strife, and opposition of sci- 
ence, falsely so called." If the second person of 
the Godhead, whom we denominate the Son, is 
admitted to be, in the highest sense, divine, we 
know not, that the salvation of any, necessarily 
involves the belief of this, or that theory, concern- 
ing the period when he first assumed the relation 
of Son — whether in that character he formed with 
his Father the covenant of redemption, or wheth- 
er he was constituted a Son in the formation of 
thafcovenant. To every candid and correct think- 
er it must appear obvious, that all things without 
the limits of time, are equally eternal, in the same 
manner as all points in a circumference are equal- 
ly remote from the centre : and if the covenant of 
redemption was formed before time began, it is 
not material which hypothesis we adopt, both the 
Sonship and the covenant are, nevertheless, eter- 
nal. That Christ was the Son before his incar- 
nation is evident, from the fact, that God sent his 
Son into the world ; which clearly implies the ex- 
istence of this relationship before he was sent as 
a son. Indeed, if he was not a Son before the 
covenant of redemption was formed — (if the terms 
before and after are at all applicable to eternal 



180 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 5 

things) — if in the formation of that covenant, he 
was constituted or "begotten" to be the Son, we 
would propose it as a question, whether the be- 
getting or constituting act was not as much his 
own, as that of the Father ? and, then, with what 
propriety can it be said, that he "was begotten 
of the Father "? On the contrary, if our concep- 
tions can admit of any thing anterior to the for- 
mation of that blessed scheme of redeeming mer- 
cy, and if in the character of a Son, he engaged 
in making that covenant, then the eternal Sonship 
of Christ, in its highest and most absolute sense, 
will inevitably result. Be it our aim, however, 
to state obvious truths, and leave to others the 
unprofitable task to deal in metaphysical subtle- 
ties, and to grope in search of light, where sol- 
emn darkness reigns. 

Secondly. The covenant of redemption em- 
braces within its limits, the entire system of pro- 
vidential grace. It is the basis and origin of the 
mediation, the incarnation, the sufferings, death, 
resurrection, and intercessions of Christ — of the 
mission and influences of the Holy Spirit; of the 
calling of prophets and apostles ; of the inspira- 
tion and preservation of the Scriptures ; of the 
organization and perpetuity of the church ; of all 
the disciplinary dispensations of divine Providence; 
and, in a word, of all things pertaining to the 
salvation of sinners, and the glory of God there- 
by. " The God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, 
in heavenly places in Christ: according as he 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 181 

Tiath chosen us in him before the foundation of 
the world, that we should be holy, and without 
blame before him in love." "Whether Paul, or 
Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, 
or things present, or things to come, all are yours, 
and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's. "And we 
k: nv, that all things work together for good to 
them that love God — to them that are the called 
according to his purpose." (Eph. i: 3, 4. 1 Cor. 
iii: 22, 23. Rom. viii, 28.) 

Thirdly. In executing #he covenant of re- 
demption, the Son sustained the office of Prophet. 
Priest and King. 

(1) He was a Prophet In the fall, man lost 
the knowledge of God; and the world by wisdom 
was unable to regain it. It devolved upon him, 
who came down from heaven, to unfold the mys- 
teries of the divine character and the divine will, 
" No man hath seen God at any time ; the only 
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Fa- 
ther he hath declared him." "To this end, said 
he, was I born, and for this cause came I into the 
world, that I should bear witness unto the truth :" 
and " my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent 
me. If any man will do his will, he shall know 
of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether 
I speak of myself." (John i: 18, ib. xviii: 37, ib. 
vii. 16, 17.) 

(2) He was a Priest. In the fall, man became 
a condemned sinner, and all the righteousness 
and penance in the world, had been insufficient 
to take away one sin, or to restore one soul t@ 



182 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

the lost favor of his God. It devolved alone upca 
him, of whom it is said, " The Lord hath sworn, 
and will not repent, Thou art a Priest forever, 
after the order of Melchisedec," to bring in ever- 
lasting righteousness and make a full end of sin. 
" Every priest of the law, standeth daily minis- 
tering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices 
which can never take away sins. But this man, 
Jesus, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, 
forever sat down on the right hand of God. For 
by one offering, he^hath perfected forever them 
that are sanctified. Wherefore, he is able, also, 
to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God 
by him, seeing he ever liveth to make interces- 
sion for them. (Ileb. x: 11-14, ib. vii: 25.) 

(3) He is a King.. In the fall, man arrayed 
against himself a host of inveterate enemies to 
oppose his salvation : and no created arm could 
have wrought his deliverance. "But thanks* be 
to God, who hath given us victory through our 
Lord Jesus Christ." The law reared its ada- 
mantine wails to heaven, and shot forth flames of 
consuming wrath upon every guilty son of Adam's 

race. The Son of God — the Prince of Peace 

hath broken the power of the law, and redeemed 
us from its curse. The multiform powers of the 
world, and the insidious motions of sin that war 
in our members, would re-subjugate the soul to 
bondage and to death, but "the King of kings " 
" hath redeemed us from this present evil world," 
that "sin should not have dominion over us." 
"The Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. ISB 

seeking whom he may devour :" but " the God of 
Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly," 
" The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 
" Then coraeth the end, when he shall deliver up 
the Kingdom to God, even the Father — when he 
shall have put down all rule, and all authority and 
power. For he must reign, till he hath put all 
enemies under his feet," " He is the head over 
all things to the church." (1 Cor. xv: 24, 25, 
Eph. i: 22.) 



LESSON XXVII. 

CHRIST THE DIVINITY OF. 

Question, Do you consider Jesus Christ — the 
Son of God — to be a divine person ? 

Answer. Yes : Jesus Christ is God over all, 
blessed for ever: he is the true God, and the 
mighty God. Rom. ix: §'• 1 John v: 20. Is. ix: 
6, ib. liv: 5. John xx: 28. Acts xx: 28. Heb.i: 8. 

Q. Is he not also called the Lord of all things ? 

A. Yes. He is Lord of all, both of the dead 
and living. Acts x: 36. Rom. xiv: 9. Jer. xxiii: 
6, Luke ii: 11. John xiii: 13, Acts ii: 36. 1 Cor. 
xv: 41. Eph. iv: 5. Rev. xvii: 14, ib. xix: 16, 



«S4 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 



Q. If, then, he is both Lord and God, has he 
not all the perfections and attributes of God? 

A. Yes : In Christ dwelleth all the fulness of 
the Godhead bodily. Col. ii: 9. John i: 14, ib. 
x: 30, ib. xiv: 9. 1 Cor. i. 24. 2 Cor. iv: 6. Phil, 
ii: 5, 6. 1 Tim. iii: 16. Heb. i: 3. 

Q. You know that eternity and unchangeable* 
ness are two of the essential attributes of God; is 
Jesus Christ eternal and unchangeable 1 

A. Yes : His goings forth have been from of 
old, from everlasting : and he is the same yester- 
day, to-day, and forever. Mic. v: 2. Heb. xiii: 
18. Pro, viii: 22, 23. John i: 1, ib. viii: 58. 
Col. i: 17. Heb. i: 10-12. Rev. i: 4, 8, 17. 

Q. None but God can be every where present 
at the same time : is not this true of Jesus Christ ? 

A. Yes : Jesus said, wherever two or three 
are gathered together in my name, there am I, in 
the midst of them. Mat. xviii: 20, ib. xxviii: 18 
-20. Eph. i: 23. Col. iii. 11. 

Q. God only can know all things : is there any 
thing that Christ does not know ? 

A. No : We are sure that he knoweth all 
things. Johnxvi:30. Mat. ix: 4, ib, xi: 27. John 
i: 18, ib. ii: 24, 25, ib. v: 20, ib. vi: 64, ib, xx: 27. 
Col, ii: 3. 



TUE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 18D 

Q. It is peculiar to God alone to possess crea- 
tive power : did not Christ make the world, the 
heavens and all things 9 

A, Yes. All things were made by him, and 
without him was not any thing made that was 
made. John i: 3, 10. Col. i: 15-17. Heb. i: 
3, 4, 10, 12. 

Q. None but God is able to raise the dead : 
is not this power, also possessed by Jesus Christ? 

A. Yes. The hour is coming, in the which 
all that are in the graves, shall hear the voice of 
the Son of God, and shall come forth; they that 
have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they 
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of dam- 
nation. John v. 28-29. ib. vi. 89, 40. 

Q. We should worship none but God only; but 
were not the angels commanded to worship Jesus 
Christ? 

A, Yes. When God bringeth his first begot- 
ten Son into the world, he commandeth all the 
angels of God to worship him. Heb. i. 6. Ps. xcvii. 
7, Is. Vi. 1, 10, John xii. 36-41. Rev. v. 11-13. 

Q. Since then, Jesus Christ is the true God, 
and has all the perfections of God, and is wor- 
shipped and adored by all the angels, should not 
we, and all men honor and serve him as God? 
13 



18'6 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* . 

A. Yes. All men should hoifor the- Son, even 
as they honor the Father; he that honoreth not the 
Son honoreth not the Eather that sent him. John v . 
23. Ps-.ii. 12,. Math, xxi« 9 ib. xxviii, 9. Luke 
xxiv. 52. Acts vii. §9. ib. xxii. 16* Phil. ii. 9- 
11,19* ib, iii. & 2tPet. .iii, IS, Rev. k 5, 6. 

REMARKS. 

Divine- titles, divine attributes, divine works 
and divine worship are, in the Scriptures, appro- 
priated to Jesus. Christ, This were absolutely in- 
credible upon any other supposition, than that of 
his real divinity. That he is a : divine person re- 
sults in like manner, also, from the following con- 
siderations : 

First. His Sonship, In more than an hun- 
dred instances, Jesus Christ is stated in the Scrip- 
tures to be the Son of God, and in very many of 
them he was so stated by himself. In this char- 
acter all men are required to believe on him ; and 
he is emphatically declared to be "antichrist," 
who denies the relation of the Father and the Son. 
(1 John ii: 22.) It is abundantly evident, that 
both Jews and Christians understood this relation 
to import his real divinity. Hence the latter. care- 
fully distinguished his divine Sonship from his hu- 
manity ; (Rom. i: 3, 4) and hence the former 
charged him with blasphemy on account of this 
appellation — saying, thereby " he made himself 
equal with God." (John v: 18.) Nor is it ies* 
certain, than, that while Jesus himself was not 



THE" CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR; 187 

ignorant, that all parties so construed this phrase, 
fee never pretended, at any time, to remove the 
universal impression on this ; subject. So far from 
tnis, he unequivocally asserted; " I and my Father 
me one;" and -he that hath seen me, hath seen 
the Father." (John x: 30, lb. xiv: 9.) Granting, 
therefore, what the adversaries of this doctrine' 
allow, that "he was a^good man," nay* that "he 
was the best of men," and air infallible witness 
to the truth," how is it possible to reconcile his 
conduct on this occasion with any other supposi- 
tion, than that of his real divinity I He that by 
his own words creates a* false impression, and 
knowingly permits it to remain, is, to all intents 
and purposes, guilty of falsehood. And hence 
one of two things inevitably results, either Christ 
was not so much as a good man, (which all admit 
he was) or else he was more — he was also a di- 
vine person. 

Secondly-- His Miracles. The history of Je- 
sus Christ is a history of miracles. From the 
first day of his public ministry, to that of his as- 
cension to the upper sanctuary-—" there to appear 
in the presence of God for us "—comparatively 
little else appears in his life, than one unbroken 
chain of the most extraordinary and wonderful 
works— opening the eyes cf the blind ; unstop- 
ping the ears of the deaf; cleansing the leprous ; 
healing the sick ; casting out devils and raising 
the dead. In no scene of personal agony or dis- 
tress, was he ever wanting a heart to pity or a 
hand to relieve. Whether in the bonds of an-ae- 



IS 8 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

cused, going up to the hall of judgment, he could 
heal the wounds of a Malchus ; or whether he 
hung an execrated victim amid the tortures of the 
cross, he could pardon and console a dying thief. 
Nor is this all. His miracles were peculiarly his 
own. In two respects, at least, they were not less 
distinguished from those of his apostles, than were 
these latter, from the incantations and necroman- 
cies of the Egyptian Magi. The apostles were 
neither the object nor the origin of that miracu- 
lous power, " by which the Gentiles were made 
obedient to the faith." They every where preach- 
ed, that men should believe on Christ Jesus the 
Lord ; and they everywhere acknowledged him 
the almighty source of their "signs, and wonders, 
and divers miracles. (Acts iii: 12-16, ib. xv: 
12, ib. xix: 11. Rom. i. 5, ib. xv: 18, 1°/.) In 
this there was harmony and fitness. It was prop- 
er that he should receive the honor, whose mighty 
power had effected such deeds of passing gran- 
deur. But what was the character of his own 
ministry? Did he, in like manner, direct our 
faith to another, by whom his miracles were 
wrought? No verily. He was the end of his 
own gospel, as he was afterwards that of his apos- 
tles; and he challenges the faith of all upon the 
ground of his self-effected wonders. " If I do not 
the works of my Father, said he, then believe me 
not ; but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe 
the works, that ye may know and believe, that 
the Father is in me, and I in him." "Believe 
me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 189 

,ine; or else believe me for the very works' sake. 
(John x. 37, 38. ib* xiv.. 11.) His works were 
his own; and therefore he was the object for which 
they were wrought— his works were above the 
power of impotent humanity; and therefore show- 
ed him to be the true God. 

Thirdly. His Mediation. We have already 
hinted, and it will be seen more fully hereafter, 
that the great design of Christ's advent into the 
world, was to effect a mediation in behalf of sin- 
ful men, by offering, in his own person, a satis- 
faction to the divine justice, in consideration of 
which, God might be just and the justifier of eve- 
ry one that believeth in Jesus. The accomplish- 
ment of this design, necessarily supposes him to 
have been a divine person. For whether we con- 
sider the requisite satisfaction to proceed upon 
the principle of pecuniary transactions, in which 
only an excess of merit is applied to the extin- 
guishment of human liabilities; or whether we 
consider, (what is the fact,) that it proceeds upon 
the principle of moral transactions, in which the 
dignity of one person is the ground upon which 
another is released, it must appear obvious that it 
could have been rendered by no mere creature. 
On the former supposition, this was impossible; 
because, no mere creature can possess excess of 
merit; and upon the latter supposition, it was 
equally impossible, because, no one creature can 
possess pre-eminent dignity. In the estimation of 
the law, all creatures are alike — subjects and 
bondsmen, IJence, it was with peculiar propria* 



1£0 THE CATECHETICAX INSTRUCTOR. 

-ty that the apostle intimates, that he who hath re- 
deemed us from the curse of the law, was himself 
above the law, but, for the purpose of our redemp- 
tion, condescended to be " made under the law.^ 
And hence, also, he emphatically declares, that 
he who condescended to take upon himself the 
form of a servant, and become obedient unto the 
death of the cross, was originally in the form of 
God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with 
God. (Gal. iv. 4, 5. Phil. ii. 6-3.) 



LESSON XXVIIL 

CHRIST THE HUMANITY OF. 

Q. You said, in the last lesson, that Jesus 
Christ was the true God; did lie not, also, assume 
a human nature like unto our -own ? 

A.. Yes. He who was in tbe form of God, 
and thought it not robbery to be equal with God. 
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him 
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness 
of men. Phil. ii. 6, 7. Luke xxiv, 39. John i. 14. 
1 Tim. iii. 16. Heb. ii. 11-16. ib. xx. 5, 1 John 
i. 1-3. ib. iv. 3: 2 John vii. 

Q. Was Jesus, in his human nature, subject 
to all the weaknesses and infirmities of other 
men 7 



"YHfe" CATECHETICAL INST&tIC*r0E. T#I 

A. Yes. He was born in a manger, a feeble 
and helpless infant; increased in wisdom and sta- 
ture; labored and became weary; hungered, thirs- 
ted, and fasted; suffered, died, and was buried, like 
other men. Math. i, 18-25. Luke ii. 6, 7, 52. 
Math, xixt 55. Luke ii. 51. John iv. 6. Math. 
iv. 2, ib. xxiv. 18. John iv. 7. ib. xix. 28. 1 Pet, 
ni. 18. Math, xxvii. 57-60. 1 Cor. xv. 4. 

Q. What evidence have you that Christ also 
possessed a human sOul ? 

A. He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted 
with grief: he groaned in the spirit; and said my 
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Is, 
liii. 3. John xi. 33-35. Math. xxvi. 38. Mark 
iii. 5. John xiL 27. ib. xxiii. 21. 

Q. For what object did Christ come into the 
world, and take upon him our nature ? 

It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accep- 
tation, that Christ Jesus came into the w T orid to 
save sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15. Math. i. 21. Luke 
xix. 10. John iii. 17. ib. xii, 47. Acts xvi, 31, 
Horn. v. 9. 10. ib. x.9- 9 Tit. i. 4. 1 John iv. 14, 

Q. Why was it necessary, that in all points, 
Jesus Christ should be made like unto men ? 

A, It behooved him, in all things, to be made 
like unto men, that he might be a merciful a&8 



292 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

iaithful High Priest, in- things pertaining to God, 
to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 
Heb. ii. 17, 18. ib. iv. 15. ib. v. L, 2- ib. viii. ib. 
viii. 3. ib. 10. 4. 

Q. Was Christ, in his human nature, subject 
to the divine law ? • 

A. Yes. Jesus said, think not, that I am come 
to destroy the law, or the prophets : I am not 
come to destroy; but to fulfil. Math. v. 17, 18. 
Ps. xxxx. 7, 8. Is. xxxxii. 21. Rom. iii. 31. ib. 
x. 4. 

Q. You said, on a former occasion, that the 
4a w required supreme love to God, and love to all 
men as to ourself : what can you say of tho piety 
of Jesus Christ towards his Father ? 

A. Jesus prayed much to his Father ; in all 
things he glorified and honored him ; and always 
did those things that pleased him, Mark i. 35. 
Luke v. 16, 18, 28, 29, ib, xxii. 44. John iv, 
34. ib. viii. 29, f 49, ib. xvii. 4. Heb. v. 7. 

Q. What can you say of his good-will towards 
men ? 

A. Jesus had compassion on the multitudes 
when he beheld their distresses ; and he went 
about continually doing good. Math, ix. 36. Acts. 

i, 38,. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 198 

Q. Why was it necessary that the Lord Jesus 
should thus have been made under the law, and 
fulfil it in his own person? 

A. He was made under the law, that he might 
redeem them that are under the law, that we 
might receive the adoption of sons. (Gal. iv. 4, 
5, Rom. iii, 20, 26. ib. viii. 3, 4. Gal. iii. 13. 

Q. Could Christ,, acting in the character of 
our High Priest, have atoned for sins, if he had 
not been holy? 

A. No. For such an High Priest became us, 
who is holy, harmless, and undefiled — -separate 
from sinners ; who needeth not daily to offer up 
sacrifice, first, for his own sins, and then for the 
sins of the people. Heb. vii. 26, 27. ib. iv. 15, 
1 Pet. ii. 22. 1 John ii. ib. iii, 5. 

Q. Could he, viewed in the light of a sacrifice, 
have atoned for our sins, if he had not been holy 
in the sight of the law ? 

A. No* It is the blood of Christ, who, through 
the eternal spirit, offered himself without spot to 
God, that purges our consciences fromdead works 
to serve the living God. Heb. ix. 14. 2 Cor. v.. 
21- 1 Pet. i. 19" 

REMARKS. 

The christian era is dated from the advent of' 
€hrist. With our present means of information? 



194 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

it were impossible to determine, at this late period 
of time, the precise day, or month of the year, in 
which this extraordinary event took place. Nev- 
ertheless, we may do so within a few months : 
and this is sufficient for all ordinary and valu- 
able purposes. We know, that our Lord was 
born into the world before the death of Herod, by 
whom he was persecuted while yet he was an in- 
fant: Now, Josephus -tells us, that during the last 
illness of Herod there occurred an eclipse of the 
moon; and by reference to Ferguson's astronomi- 
cal tables it will be found, that the only lunar 
eclipse that occurred within several years of He- 
rod's death occurred, according to our computation, 
on the 13th of March, in the year of the world 
4001, Since, therefore, Christ was but an infant 
when Herod died, his advent must be dated near 
the beginning of this, or the end of the preceeding 
year. This the apostle calls "the fullness of 
time." (Gal. iv. 4.) and we remark, 

First. The incarnation of Christ was a fulfil- 
ment of prophecy. Jesus Christ was no ordinary 
personage; and the object of his terrene mission, 
was one of no ordinary character. Accordingly 
every thing connected with this event, received 
the impress of the divine spirit, generations be- 
fore. It was not a mere casualty, that he was 
miraculously conceived of a Virgin, and made his 
advent into the world ere the "sceptre," the 
"ephod,*' and the teraphim, had departed from 
the house of Jacob. It wes not accidental, that 
he was born of the tribe of Judaluand of the fam- 



^TKE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 1SS 

ily of David — that he was despised while an in- 
fant, and persecuted in his subsequent life. The 
time and place of his nativity; the manner of his 
life, and the circumstances attendant upon the 
days of his humanity ; the reproach and contume - 
viy to which he was subjected, his miracles, and 
the uprightness of his character — ail these had 
been the burden of the prophets, who spake as the 
spirit gave them utterance," with the precision 
and accuracy of history. (Gen. xlix. 10. Is. 
vii, 14. ib. liii. 2, 8, Mic, v. 2. Hag, ii. 7, 9. 
Mat. ii. 13, 15. ib. tin. 54-57. Luke i. 26-35. 
xb. ii. 1-7, 52. John i. 11. ib. vii. 42. Rom. i. 3, 
Heb- viL 14.) 

Secondly. In his human nature^ Christ ex- 
emplified every mortal virtue. He was the light 
of the world, in whom there was no darkness. 
"He did no sin, neither was guile found in his 
mouth." Whether we consider his piety, as it 
respected his divine Father, or as it related to 
those inferior beings whose nature he had assum- 
ed, it was perfect in all its parts, and pre-eminent 
in all its degrees. Sent into the world on an er- 
rand of love 5 it was his "meat and his drink to 
do the will of him that sent him." Performing 
the most extraordinary miracles, and amid the 
most overwhelming embarrassments of poverty 
and persecution, he was neither the subject of os- 
tentatious pride, nor of desponding unbelief. He 
spake with authority, and as never man had spok- 
en; but he neither compromised the truth, nor 
gave that which was holy unto dogs. His 



l ( cN3 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

words and his works were never with-held where 
they could accomplish good; nor were they ever 
granted merely to gratify an idle curiosity, or a 
vain presumption. -Mercy was the essential ele- 
ment of his character: and he was lavish of her 
bounties. He was the poor man's friend, the or- 
phan's father, and the widow's husband: His eve 
wept with those who wept, and his heart rejoiced 
with those who did rejoice. He was happy in 
every man's happiness, and he shared in every 
man's sorrows. Into all the circumstances of life 
he entered, alike free from austerity and frivolity. 
His soul was generous, and his manners conde- 
scendmg, courteous and bland. He gave honor 
where it was due, and compassion where it was 
needed. In every place, meekness, patience and 
humility — gentleness, amiability and love: sinceri- 
ty, truth and uprightness w ere the features strongly 
delineated in his moral character. An infuriated 
populace, narrowly surveying his conduct, with 
eyes full of malice and envy^ and calling to their 
aid a horde of false witnesses, were unable to 
substantiate a solitary blemish in his. life. And 
the divine pre-science itself was " well pleased for 
his righteousness sake'' — saying "he will fulfil 
the law and make it honorable, " (Is. xxxxii. 

Thirdly. The humanity of Clirist eminently 
befitted him for the priestly office. The great dis- 
tinguishing pre -requisites for the priesthood, were 
an appointment to the office, natural sympathies, 
arising out of personal experience, and a suitable 



^HE "CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 19? 

offering for sacrifice: (Heb, v: 1-6: ib. viii: 3:| 
and whether we consider Jesus Christ, the High 
Priest of our profession, in the first, second or 
third of these several aspects, he presents a strik- 
ing contrast to the whole order of Levi— the only 
divinely appointed priesthood, save his own. Who 
of all the Levitical order was ever so solemnly 
inducted into office, as was he, of whom it is said, 
4 The Lord hath sworn and will not repent. 
Thou art a Priest forever, after the order of Mel- 
chisedecl" " Inasmuch as not without an oath 
he was made a Priest, by so much was Jesus 
made a surety of a better testament." (Heb. vii. 
20, 22.) Who of all the Levitical order entered 
into human sympathies, as djd he, who himself 
took our infirmities and bare our sickness"—- be- 
ing tempted in all points like as we are; yet with- 
out sin V 9 (Math. viii. 17. Heb. iv. 15.) Who 
of all the Levitical order hath ever presented a 
sacrifice that could take away sins, as did he, 
when through the Eternal Spirit, he offered him- 
self without spot to God, that he might purge our 
conscience from dead works, to serve the living 
God?" Hebvx. 14. 1 Pet. i. 19.) The former 
priesthood was only the shadow: the body is of 
Christ. That was the type; he is the anti-type. 
The law made nothing perfect; but the bringing 
» in of a better hope did, by the which we diaw 
nigh unto God." (Heb. vii, 19.) • 



ees-sO'N xx i x: 

CHRIST —THE DEATH OF. 

Question. In the last lesson, you said, thai 
Jesus Christ, the true God, became a man, and 
in his human nature fulfilled the law : did he not 
then suffer and die ? 

Answer. Yes. Being found in fashion as a 
man, he humbled himself and became obedient un- 
to death, even the death of the cross. Phil, ii; 
8. Zech. xiii: 7. Luke xxiv, 26, 46. Acts iL 
23. Heb. xii. 2, ib. xiii. 12. 

Q. If Christ fulfilled the law in his own person, 
ibr what did he suffer and die % 

A. Christ hath once suffered for sins. 1 Pet. 
iii. 13. Is. liii. 10. 

Q. For whose sins did Christ suffer, since he 
had none of his own ? 

A. Christ died for our sins according, to the 
Scriptures. 1 Cor. xv. 3. Ps. lxix. 9. Is. liii. 
4-6, 8, 12. Dan. ix. 26. Rom. iv. 25, ib. viii. 3* 
2 Cor. v. 14, 15, ib. viii. 9. Eph. v. 2, 25. Heb: 
ix, 23, 1 Pet ii. 24. 1 John iii. 5, 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 1 99 ' 

Q^ Did he come into the world for the express 
purpose of dying for our sins ? 

A. Yes. The Son of man came, not to be 
ministered: unto, but to minister, and to give his 
life a ransom for many. Mat. xx, 28, ib. xxvL .. 
28. Mark x. 4, 5* Luke xixv, 10. John iii. 14, 
15, ib. x. 11, ib. xi. §1, 52, ib. xii, 27. Rom. iii. 
25. 2 Cor. v. 21. Gal. iii. xiii. 1 Tim. i. 15, 
1 Pet. i. 18, 19« 1 John ii. 2x 

Q. Was it the human, or the divine nature 
of Christ, that suffered and died % 

A. Christ suffered for us in the flesh, or in hit 
human nature. 1 Pet. iv. 1; Ps* xxii. 16. Is, 
liii. 10. Mat- xxvi. 38. John six. 34, ib. xx, 
25. Eph. ii. 15. Col. L 22. Heb. xi 10, 20. 

Q. Why was it necessary that Christ should 
suffer and die, in his human nature particularly ? 

A. That sin might be condemned in the flesh : 
and because, without the shedding of blood, there 
is no remission of sins. Rom. viii. 3. Heb. ix. 
22, ib. 2. 14-17. 

Q. Would not the blood of any other animal 
such as a lamb or a goat, have answered the same 
purpose ? 

A... .No. .It is not possible that the blood of 
liulfs or of goates, should take away sins. Heb* 



200 TOE CATECHETICAX INSTRUCT 01*-. 

x, 4- Is' i. 6-14. ib. kvi. 3. Heb. x. 1-3. ih. ix 
13. 

Q. "What was it in the sufferings of Christ, 
that rendered them a better sacrifice for sins, 
than the blood of bulls or goats I 

A, The dignity of his person, as God manifest 
in the flesh : the holiness of his character: and 
the special appointment of his Father, that he 
should die for sins, rendered the sufferings of 
Christ a better sacrifice for sin, than the blood 
of bulls or of goats. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Heb. vii. 
'26, 7, ib. ix. 14. John vi, 38-40, ib. x. 17, IS. 
Heb. ix. 23. 

Q. Did God the Father absolutely purpose and 
design to sanctify and save sinners through the 
death of the human body of Christ ? 

A. Yes. Jesus said, Lo, I come to do thy will O. 
God. By the which will we are sanctified, through 
the offering of the body of Christ once for alb 
Heb. x. 9, 10. Is. Iii. 6, 10: Math, xxvi. 42. Act? 
ii. 23. Rom. iii. 24,25. 1 Cor- i. 30. ib. vi. 11. 
Gal. i. 4. Eph. i. 4, 5- 2 Tim- 1 9, 10. Heb. x. 
•14. 

Q. Was it not an instance of extraordinary- 
love in God, that he should give his Son to suffer 
the pain and ignominy of the cross for our sins ? 



THE CAtfECttEtflCjLL INSTRUCTOR. 



20l 



A. Yes. Herein is love, not that we loved 
Uod, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to die 
for our sins. 1 John iv. 1®. Rom. y. 8. John ill- 
16. 

Q. Should we not henceforth glorify and hon- 
or him, in view of his great love towards us? 

A- Yes» Ye are not your own ; ye are bought 
with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body 
and in your spirit, which are his. 1 Cor. vi. 20. 
Rom. vi ": 18. ib. xii : 1, 2. 2 Cor. v : 14, 15. 
Eph. iii. 10, 11. Tit. ii. 11, 12. Ileb. ix: 14, 
1 Pet. ii. 24, 25. Jude iii: 4. Rev. i: 5, 6. 

REMARKS. 

It has already been seen, that the incarnation 
of Christ, was a literal fulfilment of prophecy. 
The same remark is true, also, of his death. It 
would seem impossible, that an intelligent person, 
familiarly acquainted with the facts connected 
with that most extraordinary and memorable event 
and carefully comparing them with the prophetic 
writings, should not be struck with a coincidence 
so minute as to preclude every supposition, that 
the one, or the other, was the product of a blind 
and senseless "chance." The period of his de- 
mise; the betrayer; the price of his betrayal; the 
subsequent appropriation of that price; the con- 
duct of his disciples on the occasion; the injustice 
attending his trial; the various forms of indignity 
14 



202 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

to which he was subjected; the character and 
form of his death; the persons among whom he 
died, and was buried — all these, and more, had 
been foretold — ages past — with the most astonish- 
ing precision and accuracy. (Dan. ix: 26. Ps. 
xli: 9. Zech. xi : 12, 13. ib. xiii: 7. Is, 1 : 5. ib. 
v: 3, 8, 9. Ps. xxii 12-19. ib. Ixix : 20, 21.) 
Nbr was this all. We remark farther. 

First. The death of Christ was a fulfilment of 
ihet ceremonial law. The ceremonial law of the 
Jews — that great system of substitutionary sacri- 
fice and sufferings— was not designed to be per- 
petual. Viewed in its best light, it was a scheme 
of mercy too narrow for the enlarged dominions of 
God's grace. ""Is he a God of the Jews only ? Is 
he not also of the Gentiles ? Yes, of the Gentiles 
also." Hence the depreciating style in which it 
was mentioned by the prophets. ( 1 Sam. xv: 22. 
Ps. 1: 7-14. ib. li : 16, 17. ib. i : 6-14. ib. Ixvi : 
3,) hence, also the frequent allusion to anew and 
better covenant by which it should be superseded. 
(Jer. xxxi: 31-34. ib. xxxii: 36-41. ib. xxxiii: 14- 
16. Ezek. xxxviii: 24-36. Heb. viii: 7-13.) Its 
insufficiency to render the comers thereunto per- 
fect — this was the great argument of the apostle. 
" There is verily a disannulling of the command- 
ment going before, for the weakness and unprofita- 
bleness thereof. For the law made nothing per- 
fect." (Heb. vii: 18, 19.) Nevertheless, the law 
had its uses. It served to keep alive the remem- 
brance of those sins, which it could not take away; 
and to point the minds of its votaries to the lamb 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 203 

of God — the great propitiatory sacrifice for sins, 
which should be offered up in the end of the Jew- 
ish world. " The law was our school-master to 
bring us to Christ, that we might be justified hj 
faith." Christ is the end of the law for righteous- 
ness, to every one that believeth." (Gal. iii: 24. 
Rom. x: 4.) 

S econbly. The death of . Christ, teas an in- 
stance of most extraordinary sufferings. We al- 
lude now, not so much to the character and design 
of his sufferings, as to their intensity: and we dare 
assert, that such untold agonies, never rolled their 
awful weight upon any other soul, in the present 
world, as those under which he groaned, and bled, 
and died. This might be inferred from the unu- 
sually short period ere his mortal life sank be- 
neath them. (Mark xv: 44, 45.) But it will ap- 
pear more palpable if we consider the manner in 
which he met death. No other being ever brought 
so much to the close of life to console and streng- 
then him, amid the last struggles of dissolving na- 
ture as did he; and yet, no other being ever seem- 
ed so deeply overwhelmed at the prospect of death 
as he was. He died voluntarily, and under the 
promptings of his own abounding love. He died 
innocently, and with a perfect consciousness of the 
justness of his cause. He died with a full clear, 
and decided conviction of immortality and a future 
state. He died under a complete and absolute 
assurance, that no sooner should the fatal work 
of death be done, than he should be rewarded 
with glory, honor and bliss, in the bosom of his 



204 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Father. Under such circumstances, how does it 
seem, he should have met death ? Did he meet it, 
even as ordinary martyrs and good men have died] 
No verily. No one ever appeared to be so deep- 
ly affected at the thought of death, as was he. 
"Recollect in what strong terms the sacred wri- 
ters represent his awful conflict in the garden of 
Gethsemane. They tell us of his mortal sorrow: 
•'My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," 
They speak of his agony : " And being in agony 
he prayed." They speak of his fears ; He was 
heard in that he feared. They speak of his cries and 
tears. "He offered up prayers and supplications 
with strong crying and tears." They speak of 
the prodigious effect, which the fear of death pro- 
duced upon his bcdy : He sweat, as it were great 
drops of blood falling down to the ground. They 
even speak of his desire to draw back ; " O my 
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from 
me." Nor yet is this all. They represent him 
as reduced to the lowest ebb of resolution, and 
crying " My God, My God, why hast thou forsak- 
en me ?" Was ever mortal agony like this. "His 
visage was marred more than any man, and his 
form more than the sons of men. (Is. xlii: 

Thirdly. The death of Christ was vicarious. 
This must appear the only rational solution, that 
can be given to the mystery of his extraordinarily 
intense sufferings. It were incredible, that he 
should have met the closing scene of life, as we 
have described, if his death had only been that of 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 205 

an ordinary martyr, or an example of patience 
and submission. The same also, is implied in 
the fact, that he was the fulfilment of the ceremo- 
nial law. What did the Jews expect from the 
endless ceremonies and observances of their law? 
Did they not look for a literal expiation of sins by 
the blood of their immolated lambs, and bulls and 
goats? And when the apostle taught them to 
seek for that in the blood of Christ, which they 
had vainly hoped to find in the blood of bulls and 
goats, he evidently intended them to understand, 
a literal abolishment of sins. Hence, also, the 
multitudinous passages of scripture where it is said: 
"Christ hath suffered for our sins"-— "he hath 
borne our sins in his own body on the tree" — 
"he was wounded for our transgressions, and 
bruised for oar iniquities" — " he hath suffered the 
just for the unjust"— " he is the propitiation for 
our sins" — ^"he hath died for all" — "he laid 
down his life a ransom for many" — " by his stripes 
we are healed" — " in his blood we have redemp- 
tion" — " his blood cleanseth from all sin" — " he 
hath washed us in his blood." But time would 
fail to mention the half of those phrases which re- 
fer to this subject in the most direct form. Upon 
no other supposition than the vicariousness of his 
death, can we account for the fact, that this was 
the burden of the songs, the prayers, the ministry, 
the hopes, the joys, the exultation and raptures of 
all the apostles and early christians. They glo- 
ried in nought but his cross, for this they sacrific- 
ed all, and esteemed them but filth; and looking 



206 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

to this they exclaimed, " thanks be to God for his 

unspeakable gift." 



LESSON XXX. 

CHRIST THE RESURRECTION OF. 

Question, The subject of our last lesson, was 
the death of Christ. What became of Christ, after 
he had been taken, and with wicked hands cruci- 
ed and slain ? 

A. He was buried ; and on the third day he 
rose again according to the scriptures, i Cor. 
xv: 4. Ps. ii: 7. ib. xvi: 10. Hos. vi: 2. Math, 
xii : 39, 40. ib. xvi : 20. ib. xvii : 22, 23. ib. xx : 
18, 19. Luke xxiv : 46. John ii : 19. Acts ii: 31, 
ib. xiii: 33-35. ib. xxvi. 22, 23. 1 Pet. i: 10, 11. 

Q. Did Christ rise from the dead by his own 
power, or was he raised up by the power of the 
Father. 

A. Christ was raised up from the dead by the' 
glorious power of the Father. Rom. vi : 4. Acts 
ii: 24, 32, ib. iii: 15. ib. x: 4. 1 Cor. xv: 15. Rom. 
x: 9. Eph. i: 20. Col. ii: 12. Heb. xiii: 20. 1 Pet. 
i:21. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 207 

Q. By whom was the resurrection of Christ 
first proclaimed ? 

A, The resurrection of Christ was first pro- 
claimed by an angel of the Lord to Salome and 
Mary, the mother of James; and after that by two 
angels to Joanna and other pious women with her. 
Mat. xxviii: 5-8. Luke xxiv: 1-9. Mark xvi: 5, 6. 

Q. To whom did Christ first show himself 
alive after his resurrection ? 

A. Christ appeared, first to Mary Magdalene 
at the sepulchre ; then to the other Mary and Sa- 
lome, as they were returning to the city: he was 
next seen by Simon, and on the same day, he ap- 
peared to two others, in their way to Emmaus. 
Mark xvi: "9, Math, xxviii: 9. Luke xxiv: 34, ib. 
xxiv: 13-26. 

Q. When these pious women, a part of whom 
had seen the Lord, had assembled the eleven apos- 
tles, and reported to them what they had seen and 
heard, how were their v r ords received ? 

A. Their words seemed to the eleven as idle 
tales, and they believed them not. Luke xxiv* 
11. 

Q. Did not Christ after this himself appear to 
the eleven apostles ? 

A. Yes, The same day, at evening, he appear- 



20S THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

ed unto the eleven, as they sat at meat; and up* 
braided them with their unbelief and hardness of 
heart; because they believed not them which had 
seen him after he was risen, John xx. 19. Mark 
xvi: 14. 

Q. It seems, that the apostles did not so much 
doubt that something had been seen ; but thought 
it was rather a spirit : How did Christ at length 
convince Thomas and the other disciples, that what 
had been seen was not a spirit; but his real body 
which had been crucified ? 

A. He showed them his hands and his side : 
and said behold my hands and my feet, that it is 
I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not 
flesh and bones as ye see me have* John xx: 20* 
27. Luke xxiv: 39. 

Q. What were the feelings of the disciples 
when they saw clearly, that Christ was actually 
risen from the dead ? 

A. Then w T ere the disciples glad when they 
saw the Lord. John xx: 20, 28. Luke xxiv: 40* 
41. 

Q. How long did Christ remain on earth with 
his disciples, affording additional evidences of his 
resurrection, and speaking to them of his king- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

A. He showed himself alive after his passion 
by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty 
days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the 
kingdom of God. Acts i: 3, ib. xiii: 31. 

Q: What was the greatest number of persons 
who, all at one time, ever saw Christ, after that 
he was raised from the dead ? 

A, He was, at one time, seen by above R\e 
hundred brethren. 1 Cor. xv: 6. 

Q. Have you any other evidence, that God 
raised up Jesus Christ from the dead, besides the 
simple testimony of his disciples ? . 

A. Yes. The disciples were witnesses of 
these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom 
God hath given to them that obey him. Acts v: 

32. John vii : 39. ib. xvi: 7. Acts x : 44, 47. 
Rom. viii: 10-16. 1 Cor. xv: 14-17. Gal. iii: 2- 
5. Eph. i: 15-20. ib. ii: 4, 5. 

Q. Were not the apostles endowed with the 
power of working miracles, in proof of the resur- 
rection of Christ ? 

A. Yes. With great power gave the apostles 
witness of the resurrection of Christ, Acts iv. 

33. Luke xxiv: 49. Acts i: 8, ib. ii. 32, 32, ib: 
iii. 12-16, ib. iv. 8-10. 

Q. For what special purpose was Christ rais- 
ed from the dead ? 



310 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

A. He was delivered for our offences, and rai- 
sed again for our justification. Rom. iv: 25, ib, 
viii: 34. Heb. iv: 14, ib. vi: 20, ib. vii. 25, & 
:x: 24. 1 John ii: 1. 

REMARKS. 

If there is any one doctrine of the Christian 
Scriptures, to which a paramount importance is 
to be attached, it is the resurrection of Christ. 
Upon this one event, more than all others, we are 
taught, ke rested the issue of his Messiah-ship : 
(Mat. xii: 3--40, ib. xvi: 20, with Mark ix: 9. 
Rom. i: 4, with Acts xiii: 35, 36.) Upon this, 
also, depends the virtue and efficacy of his death, 
(Rom, iv: 25, ib. x: 9. 1 Cor. xv. 1% Heb. ix: 12) 
the certainty of a blissfull resurrection, (1 Cor. 
xv: 13, IS) the general judgment, (John v: 22, 
23. Acts xvii: 31) and the ultimate salvation of 
the righteous. (1 Pet. i: 3, 4.) All these cardi- 
nal doctrines must stand or fall with this one — the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ : and with whatever 
degree of doubt we hold this latter, the same must 
attend the former. For this reason we ask atten- 
tion to, 

First, The history of the resurrection of 
Christ. It appears, from a careful comparison of 
the four Evangelists, that a number of pious fe- 
males, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Ma- 
ry, the mother of James, Salome, Joanna and 
others, had made arrangements to meet at the 
grave of Christ, early on the morning of the third 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 211 

day, and annoint his body. Accordingly, when 
the appointed period drew near, "while it was 
yet dark," and " beginning to dawn towards the 
first day of the week," the two Marys and Sa- 
lome sat out te> take a view of the sepulchre :" 
at which they arrived, Mary Magdalene first, 
"about the rising of the sun." (John xx: 1. 
Mat, xxviii. 1. Mark xvi: 1, 2.) When they had 
reached the point of their destination, they found, 
to their great astonishment, that the keepers were 
fled, and that the stone was rolled away from the 
door of the grave. Upon this, Mary Magdalene, 
leaving her companions to await the arrival of 
Joanna, hastened away to call for Peter and John. 
(John xx: 2.) She had, however, scarcely gone, 
before an angel ot the Lord appeared to the other 
Mary and Salome, informing them, that " Christ 
whom they sought was actually risen from the 
dead, and that his disciples would go into Galilee, 
and there should they see him." With this intel- 
ligence, " they departed quickly from the sepul- 
chre, with fear and great joy, to bring his disci- 
ples word." (Mat. xxviii: 2-8.) Shortly after 
their departure, Joanna arrived with her company. 
These " enteredin to the sepulchre ;" and at first, 
they saw nothing, but as they stood in great per- 
plexity of mind, on account of the absence of the 
body of their Lord, there appeared in their midst 
two angels, which addressed them in the same 
manner, as the one angel had addressed the oth- 
er women : and in like manner these left. (Luke 
xxiv: 1-8.) Next came Peter and John, whom 



312 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Mary Magdalene had gone to call. They also* 
went in, but remarking nothing, save the burial 
cloths carefully laid one side, they departed. (John 
xx: 3-10.) Mary, however, did not depart with 
these disciples, but remained without weeping. 
And as she wept, she stooped down, and looking 
in, she beheld two angels, which said unto her, 
"Woman, why weepest thou?" She replied, 
" Because they have taken away my Lord, and 
I know not where they have laid him." Jesus 
himself heard this tender and affectionate reply ; 
and immediately honored her with the first view 
of his risen body. (John xx: 11-16)* (Mark xvi. 
9.) His next appearance was to the other Mary 
and Salome, as they were returning to the city* 
(Mat. xxviii: 9, 10.) It was, perhaps, near mid- 
day, when these pious women, a part of whom 
had now seen the Lord ; and the rest, a vision of 
angels, which told them that he was alive, at 
length assembled the apostles, to whom they told 
what they had seen and heard. But "their words 
seemed unto the eleven as idle tales, and they be- 
lieved them not." (Luke xxiv: 10, 11.) Never- 
theless, Peter concluded, that he would go again, 
and make a second examination into this matter. 
On this occasion, he did not " enter in," as before ; 
but simply stooped down and looked in, and " de- 
parted, wondering in himself at that which had 
come to pass." (Luke xxiv. 12.) It was proba- 
bly, soon after this, that the Lord also appeared 
to Simon, (Luke xxiv: 34.) Later in the after- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 213 

sioon, he again made himself known to Cleopas 
and his companion, in their way to Emmaus : 
(Luke xxiv: 13-26) and in the evening of the 
same day, "he also appeared unto the eleven, as 
they sat at meat, and upbraided their unbelief; 
which had rejected the testimony of those who 
had seen him. (John xx: 19. Mark xvi. 14.) 
After this, he sojourned with his disciples forty 
days, affording them the most incontestable evi- 
dences of his resurrection, and speaking of things 
pertaining to the kingdom of God, (Acts i: 3.) 

Secondly. The evidence of Chris? s\ resur- 
rection. The resurrection of Christ, admits of 
three kinds of evidence : presumptive, testimonial, 
and demonstrative, 

(1) Presumptive. It is universally conceded, 
that Christ was crucified and buried ; and that 
three days after, he was not in the grave. Now, 
he was taken away, neither by his enemies nor 
by his friends. Not by his enemies : for they 
were alike unwilling that he should be removed ; 
(Mat. xxvii: 62-66) and unable to produce his 
body, when, by the preaching of the resurrection, 
they admitted the charge of his innocent blood, 
(Acts v. 28.) On the contrary, his friends were 
equally destitute of a motive, and of power to 
have taken him away. They could have had no 
motive for such an act, except upon the supposi- 
tion of his real Messiahship ; and of this, his re- 
surrection, (and not his removal) was to be the 
test. If, however, they had desired to remove 
him, it is evident, that it had been impossible 



214 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

while the guard were awake ; and that the whole 
guard should have been asleep at onc.e, were not 
less difficult to conceive, than the resurrection it- 
self. Accordingly, on the one hand, the disciples 
were as greatly surprised by his absence from 
the grave, as coulcPhave been his enemies ; and, 
on the other, they were never charged with his 
removal, until after the guard had been richly 
paid to makr such charge. (Mat. xxviii: 11-15.) 
If, then, Christ was crucified and buried ; and 
three days after was not in the grave ; and if he 
was removed, neither by his friends nor his ene- 
mies, the presumption is irresistible, that he rose 
from the dead according to the Scrip' ures. 

(2) Testimonial. The resurrection of Christ 
was first proclaimed by the angels of the Lord. 
After that he was seen by Mary Magdalene ; then 
by the other Mary and Salome ; then by Simon ; 
then by Cleopas and his companion , then by the 
eleven ; then by above five hundred brethren at 
once ; then by James ; then by all the apostles : 
and last of all by St. Paul. Mark xvi: 9. Mat. 
xxviii: 9. Luke xxiv: 34, 13-26. Mark xvi: 12, 
14. 1 Cor. xv : 5-8. Now, if with any degree 
of candor, we consider the number of these wit- 
nesses — the plain matters of fact which they de- 
pose — the abundant opportunity they possessed 
(some of them for forty days) of ascertaining the 
reality of those facts — the places where they as- 
serted them, and all the marks of sincerity and 
truth with which their attestations were charac- 
terized, it will seem impossible to deny, to both. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 215 

their testimony, "and to the resurrection, the high- 
est degree of credibility. We dare assert, that 
no man living would think of doubting his title 
to any worldly possession, established upon one- 
twentieth part of such testimony. 

(3) Demonstrative. Under this head, we in- 
stance the effusion of the Holy Ghost on the day 
of pentecost — the miraculous endowment of the 
apostles, and their capacity to endow others with 
miraculous powers. It has been already stated, 
that the influences of the divine Spirit were pro- 
mised to the disciples cjf the Messiah in the cove- 
nant of redemption. Is. xliv: 3, 4. Joel ii: 28. 
But whether Jesus was that Messiah — this was 
the question to be determined : and the fmal is- 
sue of this question, he rested mainly upon the 
point of his resurrection and ascension to the Fa- 
ther. Accordingly, he assured his disciples, that 
unless he went unto the Futher, the Holy Spirit 
would not descend upon them in the character of 
his disciples : but, that if he went unto the Fa- 
ther, he would send the Spirit upon the a. John 
vii: 39, ib. xvi: 7. When, therefore, the apostles 
witnessed the wonderful effusion and power of the 
Holy Ghost upon those who believed in Jesus as 
the Son of God, they, with singular propriety, ad- 
duced from thence a demonstration of two points 
— both the true Messiahship of Christ, and his re - 
rection and ascension to the right hand of God. 
Acts ii: 32, 33, ib. v: 32, ib. x: 44-47. Rom. i: 4. 
And, in like manner, while it is admitted that the- 
miraculous measure of the Spirit was nbt design- 



216 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

ed to be perpetual in the world, yet, wherever 
there shall be found— to the latest ages of time— * 
a Christian " quickened," "renewed," "comfort- 
ed," and "sealed" by the effectual operation of 
the Holy Spirit, there will stand a like demonstra- 
tion of the resurrection and assension of Christ, 
as the true Messiah. "If Christ be net raided 
your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins." "He 
that believeth on the Son of God, hath the wit- 
ness within himself." " For after that ye belie - 
ved, ye were sealed with the Hoiy Spirit of pro- 
mise." 1 Cor. xv; 17. 1 John v; 10, Eph. i: 13. 



LESSON XXXI. 

THE ATONEMENT. 

Question. What do you understand by the 
atonement ? 

Answer. The atonement is that redemption 
price, on account of which God pardons sinners, 
and deals with them as though they had not sin- 
ned. Rom. iii: 24-26, ib. v: 10, 11. 1 Cor. vl 
20. Gal. iii: 13. Heb. ii: 10. 1 John iv: 10, 11. 

Q. According to the ceremonial law given to 
the Jews, as a "type," or "pattern of things in 
the Heavens," none but a priest could make 
atonement for sins ; and this he did, by offering 



E'EE ''CATECfiEf ICAli INSTRUCTOR* 21* 

Ae blood of a suitable sacrifice before the Lord, 
in the Holy place appointed; do not the scriptures 
Represent Jesus Christ, as the great High Priest 
whose atonement was typified by the Law? 

A. Yes- Jesus was made a Priest forever af- 
ter the order of Melchisedec. Ps. ex. 4. Heb. 
iL 17. ib. iii. 1. ib. iv. 15. ib. v: 5, 6. ib. vii, 26. 

Q. After that Christ rose from the dead, into 
what place did he enter, and for what purpose ? 

A. Christ is not entered into the holy places 
made with hands, which are the figures of the 
true ; but into heaven itself, there to appear in 
the presence of God for us. Heb. ix. 24. Mark 
xvi. 19. Luke xxiv. 50, 51. Acts i. 9-11. Rom. 
iv: 25. ib. viii: 34. 

Q. With what sacrificial blood, did Christ, as our 
High Priest, enter into our holy, heavenly place, 
making intercession on our behalf 7 

A. Not with the blood of bulls or of goats, 
which cannot take away sins ; but with Ills own 
blood, he entered at once, into that holy place, 
having obtained, (or procuring,) eternal redemp- 
tion for us. Heb. ix. 12. ib. x: 4. 

Q. Is the blood of Jesus Christ, thus present- 
ed before God the Father, the great redemption 
•price on account of which, our sins are pardoned? 
U 



213 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOE. 

A. Yes. In Christ we hare redemption, 
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. 
Eph. i, 7. Col. i. 14. Luke xxiv. 46. Math, xxvi 
28. Acts v. 31. ib. xiv. 38, 39. ib. xx. 28. 1 Cor, 
i. 30. 2 Cor. v. 21. Heb. 9: 14. 1 Pet. i: 18, 19. 
1 John ii. 1, 2. Rev. i. 5. ib. v. 9. 

Q. Does the blood of Jesus Christ restore us 
to the same place in the divine estimation, which 
we had held, if we had never sinned ? 

A. Yes. There is now, no condemnation to 
them who are in Christ Jesus : for the law of the 
spirit of life in Christ, hath made me free from the 
law of sin and death. Rom. viii. 1, 2. Math. iii. 
17. Johnvi. 40. Rom. i. 16. ib. v. 1, 2. Gal. iv. 
4-6. 1 John i. 3, 4. 

Q. For whom does the atoning blood of Christ 
thus av4il ? 

A. The blood of Christ avails for all who be- 
lieve on him : for he is able to save them to the 
uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he 
ever liveth to make intercession for them. Heb. 
vii. 25, John iii. 14-16, ih. vi. 29, ib. xi. 25, 26. 
Acts x. 43. ib. xiii. 39. ib. xvi. 31. Rom. iii. 22. 
ib. x. 9. 1 Pet. ii. 6, 7. T Heb. iii. 14, 

Q-. Can we become, personally, and savingly 
interested in the atoning blood of Christ, in any 
sther way than by faith ? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 219 

A... No. He that believeth on the Son hath 
everlasting life; but he that believeth not the Son ? 
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on 
him. John iii. 36- Mark xvi, 16. John viii. 24* 

Q. Are there any so degraded and polluted 
by sin and wickedness, that the rich and effica- 
cious blood 'of Christ will not cleanse and save 
them, if they believe on him ? 

A, No. Though your sins be as scarlet, they 
shall be as white as snow; the ugh they be red like 
crimson, they shall be as wool. For. the blood of 
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth us from 
all sin. Is. i. 18. 1 John i. 7. Zech. xiii. 1. 1 
Cor. vi. 11. Heb. viiii. 14. Rev. vii. 14* 

Q. In extending pardon and salvation to sin- 
ners, does God, in any-wise respect their previous 
character; or does he save them solely for Christ's 
sake ? 

A. He saves them solely for Christ's sake : 
not according to our works, but according to his 
own purpose and grace, which was given us in 
Christ Jesus before the world began. 2 Tim. i. 
9. Rom. a. 24, 25. ib.-iv. .4-8. Gal. ii. 16. ih. 
v. 1-G, Tit. iii. 4-7. 

Q. Is not this good news of gospel grace to 
be* offered to all men freely— without regard to 



450 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

sex, to nation, to color, to condition in life, or to i 
any thing else ? 

A. Yes. The spirit and the bride say, come. 
And let him that heareth say, come. And let him 
that is a thirst come. And whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely. Rev. xxii, 
17. Ps. ii. 8. Is. ix. 6, 7. ib. xxxxv: 22. ib. lv. 
1-7. Math. xi. 28-30. ib. xxviii. 19, 20. Mark 
xvi. 15, 16. Luke ii. 14, 29, 32- ib. xxiv. 46, 47. 
Acts x. 34-43. Rom. iii. 28, 31. Gal, iii. 28. 
Eph. i. 10. 

REMARKS. 

It has already been observed that the sufferings 
of Christ were vicarious. Nevertheless, as un- 
der the ceremonial law, it was not the killing of 
the sacrifice that constituted the atonement, but 
the presentation of the blood of the immolated 
animal in the appointed place, and by the proper 
person: so, it was not the mere sufferings of Christ, 
but his priestly intercessions, pleading the merits 
of his own precious blood before the throne of the 
Majesty in the heavens, that effects the atonement 
for the sins of men. Hence the importance at- 
tached to his resurrection, and intercessions : 
Rom. iv: 25. 1 Cor. xv. 17. Heb. vii: 25, and 
hence the frequent occurrence of the phrases like 
the following: "In whom we have redemption 
through his blood." — " He hath redeemed us with 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 221 

Ms blood."— " The Church of God, which he hath 
purchased with his own blood." — The blood of 
Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin." 
These phrases, not only import the absoluteness 
of the atonement, but they also denote that, with 
which it is affected: It is the blood that mdketh 
atonement for the soul" Lev a xvii. 11, Heb. ix; 
22. But we remark, 

First. The atonement is universal. 

(1) As to its necessity. Whether we consider 
mankind in the aggregate, as an unite ; or individ- 
ually, as parts of a great whole, "all have sinned 
and come short of the glory of God :" and 
in consequence thereof, exist under a wide-spread 
and universal curse. Nor has man the capacity, 
by any efforts of his own, to purge away that guilt, 
or obliterate that curse. "Though thou wash 
thee with nitre, and take much soap, yet, thine 
iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord." 
Jer. ii. 22. Mic. vi: 6, 7. Is. lxvi. 3. Heb. x. 4, 6, 

(2) As to its sufficiency. The atonement is a 
moral transaction, in which the dignity of one per- 
son becomes the ground upon which another is 
released : audit must appear obvious, that if the 
dignity of Christ, as our substitute, was such as 
to render God just in extending pardon and salva- 
tion in any case, it must be such as to justify him 
in the bestowment of like blessings in every case: 
unless the pardon of a sinner for Christs' sake, 
does in some wise render him less a divine per- 
son. " That which was equally necessary for one 
as for all, must be equally sufficient for all as for 



2*22 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

one." Accordingly, when the abstract idea ofthe 
atonement is considered, the sacred writers set 
forth but one sentiment— they recognize no limits 
within the circumference ofthe "world." "He 
is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours 
only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 
(3) As to its freeness. As the atonement is 
sufficient for all; so its blessings are freely offer- 
ed to all, and offered to all freely. The middle 
wall of partition between the divers nations and 
families ofthe earth, was broken down in Christ; 
and now, the rich, spontaneous, and redundant, 
grace of God, that bringeth salvation, like an ever 
swelling tide, rolls its healing waters to every 
man's door, and invites him to "wash and be 
clean." Mercy's free bounty, " is found of them' 
that sought her not, and is manifest to them that 
asked not after her." Nor are these blessings 
peddled out in consideration of any wordiy acci- 
dent. " Without money and without price," is 
the condition upon which all are pressed to re- 
ceive them. " Preach the gospel to every crea- 
ture," was the Savour's last commission. " Free- 
ly ye have received, freely give:" this was his first 
command. Mark xvi: 15. Math, x; 8. 

Secondly. The atonement is restricted. 

(I) In its design. It is supposed, of course, 
that no one will understand the last preceeding re- 
mark, as having reference to any beyond the hu- 
man race. We doubt not, the same valuable 
consideration, on account of which God does con- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 223 

sistently pardon any one sinner, would equally 
render him just in pardoning others also. But, 
as the holy angels need no atonement, so the death 
of Christ was not designed to provide an atone- 
ment for the fallen angels. The devils them- 
selves seemed to distinctly understand this, when 
they exclaimed ; " What have we to do with thee, 
Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither 
to torment" (not to save) "us before the time?" 
(Math. viii. 29 .) And jet, it is still more evident 
in that "he took not on him the nature of angels, 
but the seed of Abraham," and was made in the 
likeness of men. This is the apostles argument 
to whose words we refer the reader. (Heb. ii. 
Heb. ii. 11-17.) 

(2) In its saving application. We beg, that 
it may be specially remarked, the atonement does 
not proceed upon a pecuniary principle. That 
supposition would necessarily involve two anti- 
scriptural results, viz : either, that there is no 
atonement at all, or all will he saved; and that 
there is an entire exclusion of grace in the par- 
don of sin. In that view, sin being considered 
a literal debt, and the atonement a literal extin- 
quishment of that debt, the sinner mignt demand 
his release upon the ground of pecuniary justice, 
and enter his complaints against the Most High 
God, if it were not granted him. But the atone- 
ment proceeding wholly upon a moral principle, 
there is the utmost compatibility between the 
most abundant provisions of grace, and if we may 
so say, the freest possible exercise of the pardon- 



224 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR*. 

ing franchise on the part of the deity— -between, 
the most ample and universal satisfaction for sin, 
and the most perfect and absolute right to say 
whom he will forgive. Accordingly, throughout 
the scriptures we are everywhere taught, that 
none need expect pardon and salvation, but such 
as repent of their sins, confess their faults, and be- 
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Thirdly. The atonement is illustrative, 

(1) Of the odiousness of sin. We estimate 
the character of a disease by the remedy it re- 
quires to remove it. Behold in this light how 
■wretchedly hateful and destructive does sin ap- 
pear, when nought but the atoning blood of 
Christ could take it away. 

(2) Of the value of the soul. In like manner, 
we estimate the worth of things by the price 
they demand. What then must be the value of 
that immortal spirit, whose redemption price was 
nothing less than the life-blood of the only be- 
gotton Sen of the everlasting God! 

(3) Of the divine character. "In Christ God 
hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and pru« 
dence." (Eph. i. 8.) " In all wisdom ;" in that 
he hath strictly maintained and harmonized every 
perfection of his nature in the atonement. Here 
justice, truth, righteousness, mercy, pity and love, 
unite and blend their seemingly discordant fea- 
tures into one full orbed glory. " In all prud- 
ence" — in that, while he pardons sin, he shows 
U to be exceedingly hateful-^while he annihilate s> 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 22$ 

she past, he binds us to more faithful allegiance 
in future. " The grace of God, that bringeth sal- 
vation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that 
denying ungodliness and wordly lusts, we should 
live soberly,, righteously, and godly, in this pres- 
ent world." " If we walk in the light, as he is- 
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, 
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth 
us from all sin." (Tit. ii i 11, 12. 1 John 
i:7.) 



LESSON XXXII. 

FAITH. 

Question. "What must I do to be saved "? 

Answer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and thou shalt be saved. Acts xvi. 31. Heb. ii, 
4. John iii. 16. ib. vi. 47. ib. v. 24. ib- x. 9. 
Acts iv. 12. 

Q. What is it to believe on Christ in a saving 
manner ? 

A. Saving faith, is to receive Christ as he is 
set forth in the gospel, and in the affections of the 
heart to rely on him for salvation from sin and 
hell. Johni. 12. 1 John v. 10. Math. i. 21 . 
Luke ii. 11, Acts v. 31. 

Q. Have we any evidence that God will par 
don and justify sinners for Christ's sake % 



226 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

A. Yes, To him gave all the prophets and the 
law witness, that through his name, whosoever 
believeth in him shall have remission of sins. 
Acts x. 43. Rom. iii. 21. ib. v. 1. Da/L. ix. 24. 
Zech. xiii. 1. Luke xxiv. 46,47. Acts xiii. 38, 
39. Rom. viii. 1, 2. 

Q. What evidence did Christ himself give, 
that he was the Son of God, sent into the world 
to save sinners ? 

A. He wrought many wonderful works; and 
these are written, that ye might believe, that Je- 
sus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believ- 
ing, ye might have life through his name. John 
xx. 31. Luke i. 1-4, John iii. 2. ib.v. 06. ib. 
vi. 2. ib. ix. 16. ib. xi. 47, 48. ib* xii: 37. Acts 
ii. 22. ib. x. -38. 

Q. Did not God the Father bear testimony to 
Jesus Christ, that he was his Son, and that he 
approved his mission into the world ? 

A. Yes. Both at his baptism and on the day 
of his transfiguration, the Father said, This is 
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 
Math. iii. 17. ib. xvii. 15. John v. 37. Acts 
xiii. 32, 33. Rom. i. 4. 1 Pet. i- 16-18. 

Q. Is faith simply an assent of the understand. 
big to these evidences concerning Christ, or is it 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 227 

:iot also a cordial approval of the things testified? 

A. Faith is a hearty approval of the plan of 
s&lvation by Jesus Christ : for with the heart man 
believeth unto righteousness. Rom. x. 9, 10. 
Acts viii. 37. 

Q. Can any man he properly said to believe 
on Christ, who does not love him, and value him 
highly? 

A. No. For unto them which believe h£ is 
precious. 1 Pet. ii. 7. 1 Cor. ii. 2. rail; ill. 
7-9. 

Q. If you look steadily at any object, the im- 
age of that object may be seen on your eye : do 
not the image and spirit of Christ, in like manner 
dwell on the hearts of those who believe on him ? 

A. Yes. Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith. 
Eph. iii. 17. ib. iv. 24. John xiv. 23. '*'&. xvii. 23. 
Rem. viii, 9, 10, 29. 2 Cor. iii. 18. Heb. xii. 10. 
2 Pet, i. 4. I John iii. 2. 

Q. Will not God the Father, beholding the 
image of his well beloved Son formed in the heart 
of the believer, be well pleased with him for his 
Son's sake ? 

A. Yes. The Lord is well pleased with us for 
his righteousness sake. Is. xxxxii. 21. ib. liii. 
11. ib. lxi. 10. Jer. xxiii. Rom. v. 10. 1 Cor* 
L 30. 2 Cor. v. 19-21. 



22S THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

Q. Since then we receive the pardon of sins, 
righteousness, justification, sanctifieation, and 
peace with God, through Jesus Christ, should we 
not love and rejoice in him 1 

A* Yes. Whom having not seen we love, and 
though now we see him not, yet believing, we re- 
joice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 1 
Pet. i. 3. John xxi. IT. GaL vi. 14. PhiL 
iii. 3. 

Q. How should those live who believe on 
Christ ? 

A. The grace of God, that bringeth salvation 
hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that deny- 
ing ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live 
soberly, righteously, and godly in this present 
world. Tit. ii. 11, 12. Rom. vi. 1-4, 22. ib, 
xiii. 13. 2 Cor. vii. L 1 Thes. ii. 10, PhiL 
iv. S. Jas, i. 19-27. 

Q. Should we regard any man a true believei 
who does not live in the continual practice of good 
works I 

A. No. For as the body without the spirit is 
dead, so faith without works is dead also. Jas- 
ii. 26. Math. v. 13-16. John xiv. 23. ib. xv. 2, 
Gal. iv. IS. ib. v. 9, 10. Eph. ii. 10. 
*, 14, 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 229 

Q-. Are the hearts of men naturally inclined to 
receive Christ, and rely on him for salvation ? 

A. No. They will not come unto him that 
they might have life. John v. 49. ib. i. 11. ib. 
iii. 19. ib. v. 44. ib. vi. 44. ib. xii. 37. ib. xv, 
22-25- Rom. x. 3, 4. 1 Cor. i. 18, 23. 

Q. What will become of those who obstinate- 
ly persist in unbelief through life ? 

A. He that believeth not shall be damned. 
Mark, xvi: 16. John iii: 36. ib. viii. 24. Acts 
iv. 11, 12. 2 Thes. ii: 11, 12. 

Q. How is the native opposition of the heart 
subdued, so that from unbelievers, men came to 
believe on Christ? 

A. Saving faith is wrought in the heart by the 
power of the Holy Ghost, through the word of the 
gospel. John xvi: 13, 14. Acts xviii: 27. Rom. 
x: 14-17, 1 Cor. ii: 3-5, 10-15. ib. xii. 3, 9, 
2 Cor. iii: 18. Gal. v. 22. Eph. i. 13. ib. vi. 
17. James i: 18. 1 Pet. i : 23, 

REMARKS. 

" Contend earnestly for the faith ;" " build up 
yourselves in your most holy faith ;" " Hymeneus 
and Alexander made shipwreck of the faith: 5 ' 
(Jude iii. 20. 2 Tim. i : 19, 20.) In these and 
a few other places, the term, " faith," denotes, 



230 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRTCTOE, , 

not a principle of godliness in the heart, but scrip- 
ture truth. In the present lesson, however, we 
refer to faith as a divine principle, in the soul : 
and we remark, 

First. The act of faith. As an act, faith in-, 
volves two things — -the conviction of the under- 
standing, and the cordial approval of the heart to 
the things signified in the gospel. The degree of 
faith, is the degree of that conviction, and the de- 
gree of that approval. The uniformity of faith, 
is the permanency of that conviction, and the sta- 
bility or imchangeabieness of that approval. 

Faith is distinguished alike from disbelief, and 
unoelief Disbelief is the opposite extreme of 
faith. It is the understanding and heart inclined 
away from any given preposition of gospel truth, 
under the influence of counter testimony, or from 
a native aversion of the affections and will. The 
degree and obduracy of disbelief, are as the accu- 
mulation of the opposing evidence, and the inten- 
sity of the aversions. ^belief is a sort of middle 
ground, between faith and disbelief. It is that 
condition, in which the affections are, indeed, op- 
posed to God, but in which judgment is not deter- 
mined, either for, or against Christianity. This is 
the state in which the larger proportion of man- 
kind exist at present. Of them it is literally true, 
which our Lord said — " they hated me without a 
cause,'* or reason. (John xv: 25.) 

Secondly. The 'pre -requisites to faith. There 
are three pre-requisites to faith, either of which 
being absent, it cannot exist — evidence, attentioa 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 232 

and a right state of heart. No man can properly 
be said to believe that the moon is inhabited ; nor 
yet, can we say that we disbelieve it. Simply 
because we have no direct evidence that it is, or 
it not, so, In like-manner, the heathen, who are 
entirely destitute of all evidence on the subject, 
can neither be said to believe, nor disbelieve, 
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. How can 
they believe one way, or the other, of him of 
whom they have not heard? On the contrary, 
there are multitudes in Christendom, where light 
and evidence abound in great measure, who are 
almost or altogether as undecided on the subject of 
Christianity as are the veriest heathen. They are 
partisans of no religion whatever; or if they feel 
some slight partialities on this point, those parti- 
alities are, perhaps not so much the result of any 
investigation, as the effect of certain relations 
which they sustain to some sect of religionists. 
Now, all this is not for the want of evidence; but 
for the want of attention. After all, the depravi- 
ty of the heart, which, indeed, is the true secret 
of this inattention to religious matters, has more 
to do with unbelief, than any one thing : and this 
leads us to, 

Thirdly. The author of faith. In remark- 
ing the cause or author of faith, carefully distin- 
guish between the instrument and the agent. 
The instrumental cause of faith is the word of 
God. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing 
by the word of God." "Who then is Paul, and 
who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye belie v . 



3 TEE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

«d"? u Ye also trusted in Christ after that ye 
heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salva- 
tion." (Rom. x: 17. 1. Cor. iii. 5. Eph, U 
13.) But the efficient cause of faith is the Holy 
Ghost, by whose almighty power the depravity of 
the heart is subdued. (Tit. iii. 5,) the sublime 
mysteries of the gospel distincty understood. 
(John xvi. 13, 14. 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10. ib. xii. 3,) 
and all its evidences are made demonstration and 
power. (1 Cor. ii, 4.) No man can, (or will) 
come unto me, said Christ, except the Father, 
which sent me draw him." "Your faith stands 
not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of 
God." "I have planted, Apollos watered; but 
God gave the increase." " Faith is given by the 
•Spirit." " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, 
peace, faith, dfc. (John vi. 44. 1 Cor. ii: 5. ib. 
iii. 6. ib. xii. 9. Gal, v. 25.) It is for this reason, 
also, the " word " is called " the word of the Spir- 
it," as it is by this instrumentality the enmity of 
the heart is slain, and man is brought to believe 
on, 

Fourthly. The object of faith. Words are 
the signs of our ideas, and the representatives of 
things. Ideas and things, therefore, have an ex* 
istence anterior to, and wholly independent of, the 
words and phrases by which they are expressed. 
The word " gospel " is used in the divers sense, 
lo denote the whole of scripture ; or more definite- 
ly, so much of the scriptures as relates directly 
to Christ: and yet, still more definitely, to denote, 
siot words so much, but things. It represents & 



1THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 23S 

great matter of fact, which has taken place in the 
universe. That matter of fact is, that God so lov- 
ed the world, that he gave his only begotten Son 
to suffer and die, in order that he might be just 
and pardon and justify, every one that belie veth on 
Inn?. Faith is the approval of that wonderful 
provision of grace, to such a degree as to renounce 
every other plea, and to ask the mercy of God for 
Christ's sake. Christ is the object of faith, as by 
him alone =we are justified and saved. This leads 
us to, 

Fifthly. The nature and effects of faith, 
Faith is a purely receiving and appropriating act. 
The believer comes to God, a mendicant — poor ? 
and miserable, and blind, and naked, and receives, 
to his everlasting enrichment. Christ made unto 
him wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifica- 
tion and redemption. It was the righteousness 
■■of Christ, to whom Abraham looked, as the object 
of faith, by which the patriarch was made righte- 
ous before God: (Gen. xv: 4—6. Gal. iii. 16. 
John viii : 56. Rom. iv. 3 ;) and these things 
were written for our benefit, to whom like righte- 
ousness shall be imputed if we also believe. ( Rom . 
iv- 24. ib. x. 9, 10. 1 John v. 9, 10. Is. IxL 
10.] Not only so— Faith converts every promise 
and every word of God into a present, living and 
operative reality. It is the highest style of assu- 
rance of which the human mind is capable. It 
gives actual subsistence to things afar off, and be- 
hold as if demonstrated the greatest improbabili- 
ties, and the most insolvable mysteries of the di- 
16 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

word. (Heb. xi : i.) Indeed, it is, in alii 
tilings, to take God at his word, " being fully per- 
soaded, that what he has promised, he is able also 
fcb perform. (Rom. iv : 21,) and under this per- 
suasion, to act as if that word was now being ful- 
filled. (Heb. xi : 7, 13,) "Having, therefore, 

: en, boldness to enter into the holiest by the 
blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which 
he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that 
is to say, his flesh; and having an High Priest 
o er the house of God; let us draw near with a 
true heart, in full assurance of faith; having our 
beart sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our 
bodies washed with pure water." " Let us hold 
4 the profession of our faith without wavering: 
i he is faithful that promised." (Heb. x : 19- 



iMii' 



LESSON XXXIII.. 

THE HOLY GHOST. 

;N. In the last lesson, you said 
faith was wrought in the heart by the Holy Ghost: 
V is the Holy Ghost ? 

wet?. The Holy Ghost is the third person 
j; Llie God-head. Math, xviii : 19. 2 Cor. xiii: 
1 John v : 7. 
ft, What is the first act of the Holy Ghost, m 
groKucing faith in the heart ? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 235 

A. When the Spirit is come he shall reprove 
die world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment, John xvi : 8, 9. 

Q,. By what means does the Holy Spirit con- 
vince men of the e Jkeding sinfulness of sin ; the 
nature and degree of righteousness which God 
requires, and the fearfulness of his judgments 
upon those who have it not ? ' 

X. The Holy Ghost convinces men of sin, by 
enabling them to understand the law ; for by the 
law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. iii : 20. ih. 
v: 20. ih. vii: 7. 

Q. Would any man come to Christ for salva- 
tion, unless he were first deeply impressed with a 
sense of his guilt and danger? 

A. No. They that be whole need not a physi- 
cian, but they thataie sick. Math, ix: 12. Rom. 
x : 3. 

Q, Do you think it possible, that any of our 
fallen race could properly understand the holiness. . 
spirituality, and extent of the divine law, and yet 
not feel the great necessity of the precious aton- 
ing blood of Christ, to gain him favor with God ? 

A. No. I was alive once without the law: buj 
when the commandment came, sin revived, and I 
died, Rom, vii: 9-13. ih. iv: 15. 1 Cor. xv: 56, 



236 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

Q. When the Holy Spirit has thus convinced 
men of sin, and their consequent exposedness to 
the wrath of God, what does he then do ? 

A. He shall glorify Christ, for he shall take 
of the things of him, and slmll shew them unto us. 
John xvi : 14, 15. Math.^xiii : 11. John xiv : 
26. ib. xvi : 25. 2 Cor. iii : 14-17. 

Q. Can we rightly apprehend the atonement 
of Christ, and its adaptedness to the condition of 
the soul without the aids of the Spirit ? 

A. No. The god of this world hath blinded 
the minds of them which believe not, lest the 
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the 
image of God, should shine unto them. 2. Cor. 
iv. 4. Is. liii: % John i: 5. Acts iii. 14-17. 
1 Cor. i: 18, 23. 1 Tim. i: 13. 

Q. Does not the Holy Spirit, at the same time 
that he unfolds the excellency of Christ, also 
awaken in the heart a lively disposition to receive 
him, and to rely upon him for salvation ? 

A, Yes. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is 
the Christ is born of God. 1 John v: 1. John i: 
12, 13. 1 Cor. xii: 3: 2 Cor. iii: 17. 18. 

Q. Would any man ever believe on Christ in 
a saving manner, if the Spirit of God did not first 
renew him in the spirit of his mind ? 



tfKE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 237 

A. No. The natural man receiveth not the* 
things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolish- 
ness unto him — neither can he know them, be- 
cause they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. ii ; 
14, 15. Math, xi : 25. ib. xvi : 16, 1?. 1 Cor. 
ii : 7-10. 2 Cor. iv: G. 

Q. By what instrumentality does the Holy 
Spirit ordinarily operate, in unfolding the excel- 
lency of Christ, and in bringing men to believe 
on him ? 

A. Faith cometli by hearing, and hearing by 
the word of God. Rom- x ; 17, 14. 1 Cor. i : 
21. Eph. i: 13. ib. vi: 17. Col. i: 6. 1 Thes. 
i: 5. ib. ii:*ll. Heb. iv: 12- James i: 18. 

Q. It was customary, in olden times, when 
one purchased a piece of property to set a mark 
upon it, that he might afterwards distinguish and 
know it; with what are believers sealed, that God 
may distinguish them from those who believe 
not? 

A. After that ye believed, ye were scaled with 
the Holy Spirit of promise, and having this mark. 
God knoweth them that are his. Eph. i- 13. 2 
Tim. ii. 19. Rom. viii. 9. John vii. 39, Acts 
ii. 38. ib. v. 32. 1 Cor. iii. 16. ib. vi : 19, 2 
Cor, i: 22. ib. vi: 16, Eph. ii; 21, 22, Heb. iii. 6. 



288 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

Q. Is not this continual in-dwelling of the Ho- 
ly Spirit, likewise, evidence to us, that we are 
the children of God, and that we shall certainly 
foe saved 1 

A. Yes. The Spirit itself beareth witness 
with our spirit, that we are the children of God; 
and is the earnest, (or assurance) of our inheri- 
tance, until the final redemption of the purchased 
possession. Rom. viii. 16, Eph, j, 14, Rom. 
viii, 14-17, % Cor, v, 5, Gal, iv. 6, 

Q. Should we not very carefully avoid every 
thing offensive to the Holy Spirit, by whom w T e 
receive so many blessings ? 

A. Yes. Grieve not the Holy Spjjit of God. 
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 
Eph. iv : 30. Is. km : 10. Acts vii : 51. Gen, 
vi : 3. 

Q. What is said of those who shall presump- 
tuously and maliciously offend against the Holy 
Spirit ? 

He that shall blaspheme against the Holy 

Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of 

Eternal damnation. Mark iii: 29. Math, xii: 

32. Luke xii: 10, Heb, xi: 36, 27. 1 John xvi, IT. 

REMARKS. 

It has been observed already, that the mission 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 239 

and influences of the Holy Spirit, hath their origin 
in the covenant of redemption. This is $ru«, 
whether we consider that mission, and those in- 
flences before or after the actual advent, death, 
and resurrection of Christ. In the former case, 
they proceeded upon the ground of what Chaist 
should hereafter accomplish — which was beheld 
by the divine mind as already done : and in the 
latter case they proceed upon the ground of what; 
he has actually accomplished. But we remark, 

First. The character of the Holy Spirit. The 
Holy Ghost is not a divine attribute, but a divine 
person- — the third person of the God-head. 
4£ 1 ) The personality of the Holy Ghost, All the 
actions and attributes of a real person, are, in the 
scriptures, given to the Holy Spirit. He is said 
to be sent; to move; to strive; to speak; to testily; 
to guide; to lead; to help our infirmities; to search 
and to know all things; to be pleased; to be pro- 
voked; to be vexed; to be resisted; to be grieved; 
to be spoken against; to be lied unto; to be blas- 
phemed ■ ; which things can with no possible pro- 
priety be predicated of any but a real person; and 
they, therefore demonstrate the personality of the 
Spirit. (Gal. iv: 6. Gen. i: 2. ib. vi: 3. "Rev. ii: 
7, John xv: 26. ib. xvi : 13. Rom. viii : 14, 26. 
1 Cor. ii: 10,11. Actsxv: 28. Is, lxiii: 10. Acts 
vii: 51. Eph, iv: 30. Math, xii; 32. Acts sv. :; 
Mark iii: 29.) 

(2) The divinity of the Holy Ghost. The titles, 
attributes, and works of the true God, are ascrib- 
ed to the Holy Spirit. He is both Lord and God, 



:M0 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

(2 Cor. iii: 17. Acts v: 34.) He is possessed 
of all the incommunicable perfections of deity — - 
eternity, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipo- 
tence, truth, holiness, glory, and goodness. (Heb. 
ix: 14. Ps. cxxxix: 7. 2 Cor, ii: 10, 11. Rom. 
xv: 19. John xiv : 17, 26. 1 Pet. it: 14. Neh. 
ix: 20, Ps. cxxxxiii : 10.) The works of the 
true God are all attributed to the Spirit — creation, 
inspiration, regeneration, sanctification, and res- 
urrection of the dead. (Gen. i: 2. Job xxvi: 13, 
ibk xxxiii: 4. John xvi : 13. 2 Tim. iii: 16. .2 
Pet. i: 21 John iii: 5, 6. ib. vi: 63: 1 Cor. vi: 
11. 1 Pet. iii: 18. Rom. viii: 11.) Now, all tip 
were absolutely incredible, except upon the sup- 
position of the real divinity of the Holy Spirit, 

(3) The Holy Ghost is the third person in the 
God-head. Not, indeed, in respect of essential 
perfection ; but in the relation of offices, in the 
execution of the remedial scheme. We must not 
understand the numerals, "first," "second," and 
"third," when applied to the persons of the God- 
head, as importing'so many degrees of divine ex- 
cellence and glory; for the " three that bear re- 
cord in tiei-ven are one." (l John v: 7.) But as 
denoting the order in which the triune God, the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, engaged to 
co-operate in the salvation of sinners. Accord- 
ingly this is the order in which they are ordinari- 
ly represented in the sacred oracles. Witness 
the baptismal ceremony, and the apostolic bene- 
diction. (Math, xxviii: 19. 2 Cor. xiii: 14.) 

Secondly. The offices of the Holy Ghost, 



fHE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 241 

The office work of the Spirit may bejy^perly dis** 
linguished into ordinary and extraorcfflPtay. 

(1) Extraordinary. The extraordinary func- 
tions of the Holy Spirit were the inspiration of the 
scriptures : (John xiv : 26. ib. xvi : 13. 2 Tim- 
iii: 16. 2 Pet. i: 21,) and the miraculous endow- 
ments of the sacred writers— endowments where- 
by they were enabled to perform miracles in at- 
testation of the divine authenticity of their doc* 
trines. (Acts i: 8. ib. ii : 32, 33. ib. iv. 33. 
Rom. xv: 19. 1 Cor. xii: 4-10. 2 Cor. xii. 12.) 
These are called extraordinary, because they 
were not designed to be perpetual in the christian 
church. Miracles were of no farther use after 
inspiration ceased. (Rev. xxii: 18, 19,) and both 
were together discontinued. 

(2) Ordinary. The ordinary offices of the 
Spirit, are those by which, to the latest ages of 
the world, the hearts of men will be subdued, 
sanctified and fitted for the kingdom of heaven ; 
and, perhaps, if we would carefully distinguish the 
several acts of the Spirit, in the progress of this 
great moral renovation, the christian world would 
be saved the pain of much needless controversy 
on a subject of admitted difficulty. When are we 
partakers of the Holy Ghost ? " After baptism," 
says one. (Acts ii: 38. ib. v: 32.) This is the 
truth ; but not the whole truth. When are we 
partakers of the Holy Ghost? " Before baptism," 
says another. (Acts x: 48, 7, 48.} This also i& 
the truth, but not the whole truth. The apparent 
contradiction in the teaching of the apostles, om 



Z42 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

such occasions, may be easily harmonized, if we 
patiently r^m^rk the order of the Spirit's opera- 
tions, and aHow, that they alluded to the different 
acts of the same Spirit. It seems to us to be 
clearly a scripture doctrine, that faith in Christ 
should precede baptism, and that this faith is the 
effect of the operation of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 
viii, 37. 1 Cor. xii: 3. John i: 12, 13.) but it 
is equally clear, that there is an act of the Spirit 
after baptism, by which we feel an assurance of 
salvation, that is not promised to any in the ne- 
glect of that duty. Acts ii: 3S. ib. v- 32. Rom- 
viii: 16. Eph. i: 14. 1 Pet. iii; 21. 



LESS OX XXXIT. 

SEGEXERATIOX. 

Question. You said, in your last lesson, that 
" whoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is 
born of God, What do vou understand by being- 
born of God 1 

Answer. That ye put off, concerning the for- 
mer conversation, the old man, which is corrupt 
according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed hi 
the spirit of you mind; and that ye put on the new 
man, which after God is created in righteousness 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 243 

and true holiness. Eph. vi : 22-24. Ps. li : 10. 
Rom. xii: 2 Cor. v: 17. Col. iii: 8-10. m 

Q Why do you call this renewal of the tem- 
pers and dispositions of the heart, "being born of 
God?" 

A Because, we are born again, not of blood, 
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of Cod the Spirit. John i: 13. ib. iii. 5. ib. 
vi: 63. Eph. ii: 4-10. Phil, ii: 12, 13. Tit. 
iii : 5. 

Q Could not men effect this change in their 
own hearts and character without the aids of the 
Spirit ? 

A No. Can the Ethiopean change his skin, 
or the Leopard his spots 1 then may ye all do good 
that are accustomed to do evil. Jer. xiii, 23. Job 
xv, 16. Ps. lviii, 3-5. Jer. ii, 25. John v, 40. 
ib. vi, 44. ib. Ps. Ixxx, 3, 7, 19. Jer. xiii, IS. 
Lam. v; 21, 

Q By what means does the Holy Spirit pro- 
duce this change in the hearts of sinners ? 

A Of his own will begat he us with the word 
of truth," that we should be a kind of first fruits of 
his creatures. J ajggg s i, 18. 1 Cor. iv, 15. Eph. 
i, 13. ib. vi, lT^WTeb. iv, 12, 1 Pet. i, 23. 2 
Pet. i, 3, 4. 



2-U THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

Q Why is it absolutely necessary that a maiv 
should experience this new birth ? 

A Except a man be born of water and of the 
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 
John iii, 5. Math, v, 20. ib. xviii, 3. Rom. viii, 
6-10. 1 Cor. xiii, 1-3. Gal. vi, 15, Tit. iii, 5: 

Q What is the great difference between those 
who are regenerated, and those who are not 1 

A That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; 
and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit: they 
that are after the flesh do mind the things of the 
Sesh: and they that are after the Spirit, the things 
of the Spirit. John iii, 6. Rom. viii, 5. Math, 
vi, 31-33. Gal. 6, 7, 8. 

Q Do those who are begotten of the Spirit 
possess any more lively, distinct and impressive 
views of the divine character than they had be- 
fore f 

A Yes. God who commanded the light to 
shine out of darkness, hath sinned in our hearts, 
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. iv, 6. 
Job xxxxii, 5, 6. Ps. xxxvi, 9. ib. cxxxix, 1—12, 
Is. vi, 5- Jer* xxiv, 7. Dan. ix, 4-9. John xvii, 
3. 2 Cor, iii, 18. Col. iii, 10. James iii, 17. % 
Pet. i, 3. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 245 

Q Is this change of views attended with any 
change of desires and affections towards God ? 

A Yes. Whom have I in heaven but God? and 
there is none on earth that I desire besides him: 
in his presence is fulness of joy, and at his right 
hand there are pleasures forevermore. Ps. lxxiii, 
25. ib. xvi. 11. 

Q, Will you enumerate the fruits of the Spirit 
in a truly regenerated heart ? 

A The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, 
long-suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, and 
temperance. Gal. v, 22, 23. 

Q Do not those who are born of God enter- 
tain a deep and tender affection toward all their 
christian brethren 1 

A Yes. By this we know, that w 7 e have pass- 
ed from death unto life, because we love the breth- 
ren : he that loveth not his brother abideth in 
death. 1 John iii, 14. Ps. xv, 4. ib. xvi, 3. John 
xiii, 34, 35. Rom. xii, 9, 10. 1 Cor. iii, 3. ib, 
xii, 14-27. ib. xiii, 1-7. 1 Thes. iv, 9. 1 John 
iii, 17, 18. ib. iv, 7, 8. ib. v, 1. 

Q Does the work of regeneration extend so 

far at the first, that the christian man will have 

no farther occasion to watch and pray and strive? 

A* No. I delight in the law of God after th# 



246 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOB. 

inward man; but I see another law in my member? 
warring against the law of my mind, and bring- 
ing me into captivity to the law of sin, which i? 
in my members. Rom. vii, 22, 23, Ps. i, 2. ib. 
xl 9, 20, Jer. xxxi, 33. Ezek. xi, 19, 20. 2 
Cor. iii, 3. Rom. vii, 15-21. Gal. v, 16, IT. 

Q. But will not the truly regenerated man, 
hold on his way, industriously laboring to obtain 
the mastery over his fleshly nature, and attain per- 
fect holiness ? 

A. Yes, The path of the just is as the shining 
light, that shineth more and more to the perfect 
day. Pro. iv, 18. Ps. xxxvii, 23, 24. Pro. xiv, 
16. Mic vii, 8. Math, xiii, 31, 33. Rom. ii, 
7. ib. vi, 2,22. ib. viii, 13. 1 Cor. viiii, 27. 2 
Cor. iii, 18. ib. vii, 1. Gal. v, 24. Eph. iv, 12 ? 
13. Phil, iii, 12-14. Heb. iii, 6, 14. ib. xii, 14 
2 Fet. i, 5-7. 1 John v, 4. 

Q With what feelings does the regenerated 
soul think of his past sins, and of his frequent fail- 
ures in duty now? 

A. Surely after that I was turned, I repent- 
ed; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon 
my thigh : I was ashamed, yea even confounded, 
because I did bear the reprcach of my youth 
Jer, xxxi, 19- Ps. Ii, 1-15. Math, xxvi, 75. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 247 

REMARKS. 

First. The reality of regeneration. We are 
irank to allow, that much of the language that de- 
scribes the new birth, is, from the nature of the 
case, obliged to be metaphorical. It is not, how- 
ever, for that reason, to be regarded less true, or 
less significant. The design of metaphors is not 
to convey false impressions to the mind ; but to 
afford more lively, and distinct apprehensions of 
things otherwise incomprehensible. This re- 
mark is equally applicable to the figurative lan- 
guage of the bible, as to the language of ordinary 
life. Such is the disparity between the things of 
God and the capacities of the human mind, that it 
were difficult to conceive, that the latter should at 
all understand the former without the aid of types 
and symbols ; and whatever objection the sticklers 
for philosophical exactness may raise to the figu- 
rative style in which the doctrine of regeneration 
is expressed, we doubt whether reason itself would 
not employ much the same modes of expression, 
were it engaged to represent the same change in 
all its forms and phases. We think it will be 
found, upon a close examination, that no set of 
words of the same number and simplicity, will 
convey a more distinct, complete, and intelligible 
idea of an entire mental and moral renovation, 
than those employed by the sacred writers as ex- 
hibited in the lesson above. The nature, neces- 
sity, author, effects and tendencies of this change 
they so clearly illustrate, that the simplest minds 



248 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

cannot mistake it, and in a form so concise that 
philosophy, itself may thence derive definitions. 

Secondly. The necessity of regeneration. The 
necessity of regeneration results from the deprav- 
ity of the human heart. Heaven is a holy place : 
the inhabitants of heaven are holy beings; the 
employments and pursuits of heaven are all of a 
pure and holy character. To gaze with unbe- 
clouded eyes upon the effulgence of the divine 
glory — to study his perfections- — to admire his ex- 
cellence, and, in prostrate adoration, to extol and 
worship him, . will constitute the uninterrupted 
pleasures of the redeemed throughout eternal 
ages. Between such employments and the tastes 
and tempers of the natural man, there is not a 
s ambiance of congeniality. They are as widely 
removed, and as absolutely irreconcilable as light 
and darkness. Nor is there in the pains and strug- 
gles of the dying hour, any thing to annihilate that 
difference, or induce that moral fitness for the 
saints' everlasting rest. The same is true also 
of the cold and wasting grave whither we tend. 
Hence the force of language like the following : 
"The wicked is driven away in his wickedness." 
" He that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he 
that is filthy, let him be filthy still." "Whatso- 
ever thy hand findeth to do,, do it with thy might"; 
for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, 
nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." 
4i Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be 
born again." (Prov. xiv, 32. Rev. xxii, 11. Eel* 
ix, 10. John iii, 7.) 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 249 

Thirdly. The nature of regeneration. "That 
which is born of the flesh, is flesh, and that which 
is born of the Spirit, is Spirit," "They that are 
after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh; and 
they that are after the Spirit, the things of the 
Spirit." (John iii, 6. Rom. viii, 5:.) Such is 
the style in which our Lord and his apostle repre- 
sent the striking contrast between the natural and 
renewed man. Regeneration is a radical change 
of the whole moral character. It is an absolute 
change of views ; of affections ; of pleasures ; of 
hopes; of desires; of purposes; and of pursuits. 
To the truly regenerated soul, the doctrines and 
claims of the christian religion — the boundless 
perfections of the divine being; the odious and 
destructive nature of sin ; the adorable excellency 
of Christ in his death and intercession; its own 
relation to the redeemer and to a lost and ruined 
world ; the shortness of time and the overwhelm- 
ing feafulness of eternity — these no longer appear 
as the vagaries of an idle and speculative mind ; 
but as the most solemn, impressive, and affecting 
realities, awakening new sentiments, imparting 
new impulses, and leading to new resolutions, 
plans and modes of life. In a word, " if any man 
be in Christ, he is, emphatically, a new creature, 
old things have passed away; behold all things 
have become new." (2 Cor. v, 17.) Hence re- 
mark, 

Fourthly. The tendencies of regeneration. 
There is a sense, in which regeneration is instan- 
taneous and perfect: and there is a sense, in whick 
17 



250 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

it is partial and progressive. He that is born of 
God is enstamped with all the essential features, 
and possessed of all the essential elements of a 
holy character. He is dead indeed unto sin, but 
alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
A principle of candor, of sincerity, of truth, of 
liOTiesty, of benevolence, of the fear of the Lord 
is implanted in the heart — so that were he to die, 
he would be immediately translated to the para- 
dise above. Nevertheless, remaining in the pres- 
ent world, he is still clogged about with a cumber- 
oas mortality, in whose propensities and passions, 
matured and fortified by long'indulgence and habit, 
he will find the occasion of many a sharp and pain- 
ful contest. Old and vitiated tastes must be re- 
pressed and mortified; old custpms must be brok- 
en up; old associations abandoned; old lesson? 
forgotten; old prejudicies and prepossessions rooted 
and grounded in the heart itself, must be discard- 
ed : and to wage an exterminating war, like this, 
against self, and at the same time withstand a 
continual, and if possible a fiercer onset from with- 
out, must demand no little vigilance and effort,, 
and may well awaken our sympathy should he oc- 
casionally fall. But " how shall we that are dead 
to sin, live any longer therein ?" Accordingly, 
the tendencies of regeneration are all towards a 
state of perfect holiness. " Brethren," said the 
eminent St. Paul, "I count not myself to have ap- 
prehended, neither yet to be already perfect : but 
this one thing I do forgetting the things which are 
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which 



ME CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 251 

are before; I press towards the mark for the prize 
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let 
us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus mind- 
ed : and, if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, 
God shall reveal even this unto you." (Phil. iii. 
12-15.) 



LESSON XXXV. 

REPENTENCE. 

Question. The subject of our last lesson was 
regeneration, in which you said, "after that you 
were turned, you repented :" what is repentance? 

Answer. Repentance is godly sorrow for sin e 

Q, Why do you call repentance a godly sor- 
row ? 

A Because it has respect to God as our law- 
giver; is wrought in the heart by the Spirit of God; 
and leads the soul to God, for pardon and salva- 
tion Ps. li, 4. Acts xx, 21. Zech. xii, 10. Acts 
ii, 37. ib. xi, 18. 2 Tim. ii, 25. Luke xviii, 13. 
2 Cor. vii, 10. 

Q, Whom does God command thus to repent ! 



252 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

A The times of this ignorance God winked 
at ; but now commandeth all men every where to 
repent. Acts xvii, 30. Math, ix, 13. ib. xi, 20. 
Mark vi, 12. Luke xxiv, 47. Acts ii, 38, ih. viii, 
21-23. ib. xxvi, 20. 

Q, " God is angry with the wicked every day:' ? 
why then does he prolong their life, and confer 
so many blessings upon them ? 

A God is not slack concerning his promised 
judgments, as some men count slackness ; but is 
long suffering to us-w T ard, not willing that any 
should perish, but that all should come to repen- 
tance. 2 Pet. iii, 9. Ezek. xviii, 30-32. ib. 
xxxiii, 11. Rom. ii, 4 Rev. ii, 21. ib. iii, 19. 

Q, In what manner do holy beings regard the 
repentance of sinners ? 

A There is joy in heaven over one sinner that 
repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just 
persons, that need no repentance, Luke xv, 7. 
20-24. Jer. xxxi, 18-20. Rev. iii, 17, 18. 

Q What will become of those, who despising 
the goodness and forbearance of God, shall persist 
in hardening their hearts in impenitence and sin ? 

A He that being often reproved, hardeneth 
his neck shall be suddenly destroyed, and that 
without remedy. Pro. xxix, 1. Ps, xvii, 11-13. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 253 

ib. ix. 17. ib. 1, 22. Pro. i, 24-32. ib. xiv, 32. 
Luke x, 12-14. ib. xiii, 3, Rom, ii, 5. Rev. ii 9 
22. 

Q, What is said of those, on the contrary, who 
are deeply afflicted, pained, and grieved on ac- 
count of their guilt and transgression? 

A The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a 
broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite 
spirit. Ps, xxxiv, 18. ib. Ii, 17. Is. lvii, 15. ib. ixi, 
1-3 ib. lxvi, 2. Joelii, 12, 13. Math, v, 4. ib. 
xi, 28-30. ib. xii, 20. Luke xviii, 13, 14. John 
vi, 37. 

Q, Will not a truly penitent person frankly 
confess all his sins, without disguise, excuse, or 
palliation ? 

A Yes. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, 

Lord; and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said* 

1 will confess my transgressions unto the Lord ; 
and he forgave the iniquity of my sin. Ps. xxxii 

5. Lev. v, 4, 5, Josh! vii, 19, 20. Ps. Ii, 3. Pro. 
xxviii, 13. Jer. xiv, 20. Hos. v. 15, Math, iii, 

6. Acts xix, 18, 19. 1 John i, 9, 

Q, What are we required to do in the case of 
offences done to our fellow men ? 

A If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there 
rememberest that thy brother hath aught against 



254 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

thee, leave there thy gift before the altar; go thy 
way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then 
come and offer thy gift. Math, v, 23-26. Ja&, 
v, 6. 

Q Will not the true penitent be disposed, to 
the utmost of his ability, to restore all the gain he 
has illy acquired, by cheating, lying, gambling, 
stealing and other fraudulent and unholy means ? 

A. Yes. And Zaccheus stood and said, behold 
Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and 
if I have taken any thing from any man by false 
accusation, I restore him four fold. Luke xix, 8» 
Lev. vi, 2-5. Num. v. 6-S. 1 Sam. xii, 3. Ezek. 
xxxiii, 14, 15. 

Q What does God require us to do towards 
those who have injured us, as a pre-requisite to 
our forgiveness 1 

A When ye stand praying, forgive; if ye have 
aught against any, that your father also which 
is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses: but 
if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his 
brother their trespasses, neither will your Father 
which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 
xi, 25, 26. Mat. xviii, 35. ib. vi. 14, 15. Acts 
rii, 59, 60. Eph. iv, 32. Col. iii, 12, 13, I 
John iii, 14, 15. 



TffE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 255 

Q, What will be the end of those who profess 
"to repent, and yet have not these fruits and evi- 
dences of repentance ? A 

A They will be destroyed : for behold the axe 
is laid unto the root of the trees : every tree, 
therefore, which bringeth not forth good fruit, 
is hewn down and cast into the fire. Math, iii, 
10. John xv, 8. 1 John iii, 10. Math. v. 27-32* 
ib. viii, -13-20. ib. xix, 22. 

Q, But will not the Lord pardon and accept 
of such as put away their sins and return unto 
him? 

A. Yes. Let the wicked forsake his way, 
and the unrighteous roan his thoughts ; and let 
him return unto the Lord, and he will have mer- 
cy upon him; and to our God, for he will abun- 
dantly pardon. Is. lv, 7. ib. i, 16-18. Dan. iv, 
27. Hos. xiv, 1, 2. 

Q, Does not Godly sorrow tend to make a 
man exceedingly strict- in the avoidance of sin, 
and careful in the practice of piety in future ? 

A. Yes. Behold this self-same thing, that ye 
sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it 
wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, 
yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what ve- 
hement desire, yea what zeal, yea what revenge I 



256 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR*. 

2 Cor, vii, 10. Job xxvii, 6. ib. xxxiv, 32. Acts 
xix, IS, 19. ?6. xxiv, 16. 1 Thes. i, 9. 2 Tim. ii. 
19. Tit. ii, 11,12. Heb. 9, 14. 

REMARKS. 

First. The order of the graces. In remark- 
ing upon the order of the christian graces, it is 
necessary to caution the reader, to carefully dis- 
tinguish between the order of time, and the order 
of nature. Irrespective of the arrangement of the 
above lessons, the reason of which arrangement 
can require no explanation, a close and attentive 
examination into what they contain, will show, 
that regeneration is made to precede both repen- 
tance and faith. Their precedence, however. 
must not be understood of time, but of nature. 
In regard to time, we consider the three to take 
place at one and the same moment, We have no 
thought, that any soul was ever regenerated, 
which was not, instantaneously, both penitent, 
and believing : and, on the contrary, Ave have no 
idea, that any soul was ever the subject of evan- 
gelical faith or repentance, which was not re- 
generated m its tempers and dispositions. Nev- 
ertheless, in the order of nature, we consider re- 
generation to precede repentance : (Jer. xxxi, 
19,) and repentance to precede faith. (Math. 
xxi, 32. Mark i, 15. Acts xx, 21. 2 Tim.ii. 
25.) 

Secondly. The paradox of the graces. Re- 
pentance and faith, and all their kindred virtues. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 25? 

ure positively commanded of men; and in their 
neglect, they are in the highest degree culpable 
and blame -worthy ; and yet, their performance 
depends entirely upon the influence of the Holy 
Spirit — a power wholly without, and independent 
of themselves. Nor is there any incongruity in 
this, if we carefully distinguish between the natu- 
ral and moral ability of men : or in other words, 
between their capacity, and their disposition. If 
a servant possess the natural capacity to obey 
his master, that is a sufficient reason to render 
him a fit subject of command. Although it is 
emphatically certain, that an entire want of a will 
to obey, may render the non-performance of the 
act as absolute, as if he had been wholly destitute 
of the requisite natural power; yet, no master con- 
siders himself obliged to impart to his servant a 
disposition to obey, before he may rightfully com- 
mand him : nor yet, does he regard that want of 
desposition the smallest excuse for any disobedi- 
ence. The same is true, also, of the divine gov- 
ernment. If sinners have the natural capacity to 
obey God, (and this is abundantly evident, both 
from what is required of them, and from the fact 
that they disobey him) then, they are properly the 
subjects of the divine commands : nor does their 
total want of a disposition or will to obey, in the 
least sense, absolve them from obligation to do so. 
It is the absolutely paralizing influence of this 
want of will to repent and believe, to which our 
Lord refers, when he says : "No man can come 
unto me, except the Father, which hath sent me 5 



253 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRTJCTOB. 

draw him :" (John vi, 44. ib. v, 40.) and yet, he 
says, " He that believeth not shall be damned." 
(Mark xvi, 16- John iii, 36.) 

Thirdly. The essential of the graces. 
When we speak of natural things, men dis- 
tinctly understand what we mean by a principle 
of honesty, of truth, of chastity, of industry, of 
patriotism, of valor or of cowardice : and in such 
cases, they as widely distinguish between the prin- 
ciple, and the acts to which it gives rise, as they 
do between those persons who possess such prin- 
ciples, and those who have them not. Now the 
same things we desire to remark in religion, 
When we speak of vital Christianity, we allude, 
not to the acquisition of some natural endowment 
or faculty; nor yet to any one mental or bodily act 
of life ; but to the possession of anew and holy 
principle implanted in the heart. In the scrip- 
tures, this principle is variously styled/* 5 the root 
of the matter;" " the divine nature," "the seed of 
God V &c. : (Job xix, 28. Math. xiii, 21. John 
i, 4. Eph. far, 18- 2 Pet. i, 4. 1 John iii, 9,) 
and those, who are possessed of it, are said, to 
" be born again ;" "born of God;" to have a 
"new heart," "a right spirit," to have the "law 
of God written in their hearts." (1 Pet. i, 23. 
John i, 13. Ezek. xi, 19. ib. xviii, 31. Ps. li, 
10. Jer. xxxi, 31. Heb. x, 16.) This divine 
principle assumes various appearances according 
to the subjects of its contemplation. When the 
being and perfections of God are referred to, it is 
a principle of love and .reverence; when referred 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 25$ 

to his command and authority, it is a principle of 
obedience and acquiescence; when his promises 
are contemplated, it is a principle of confidence 
and expectation; when Christ is its object, it is a 
principle cf reliance and trust; when the sinful- 
ness of its own subject is considered, it is a prin- 
ciple of repentance ; when the significance and 
helplessness of its subject are remembered, it is 
a principle of humility and dependence; when the 
injuries we have suffered are mentioned, it is a 
forgiving principle; when the injuries we have 
inflicted upon others are beheld, it is a principle 
to offer every possible satisfaction: and thus, in all 
the relations we sustain in the universe, it is a 
principle to do unto others as we would have them 
to do unto us— to render unto God, that which is 
due to him, and to render unto man that which 
of right belongs to him. This leads us to remark, 
Fourthly. The evidence of the graces. The 
evidence of grace in the heart is the conduct of 
after life. It were a moral impossibility, that one 
should possess a principle of piety, and jet act 
contrary thereto. (Math, vii, 16-20.) What 
should we think of his principle of pecuniary hon- 
esty, who should habitually evade the payment of 
his just debts? or of his principle of veracity, who 
should, ever, and anon, be guilty of prevarication 
and falsehood ? In like manner, the apostle says, 
" show me thy faith without thy works, and I will 
show thee my faith by my works." (Jas. ii, 18.) 
A principle of obedience, will prompt t^ a literal, 
universal, and daily performance of all the knowp. 



%60 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

will of God: and a principle of love to our fellow 
men will prompt to those acts which the law of 
love demands — whether the forgiveness of offen- 
ders, or restitution for that which another has suf- 
fered at our hands : or the fulfilment of those offices 
of sympathy and aid, which their miseries and 
helplessness require. " Whoso hath this world's 
good, and seeth his brother have need, and shut- 
teth up his bowels of compassion from him, how 
dwelleth the love of God in him ? My little chil- 
dred, let us not love in the word, neither in tongue 
but in deed and in truth," In all things walk 
worthy of the Lord, to all pleasing, tjeing fruitful 
in every good work, and increasing in the know- 
ledge of God." (1 John iii, 17, 18. Col. i, 10.) 



LESSON- XXXVI. 

JUSTIFICATION. • 

Question. We have now considered re gene* 
ration, repentance, and faith. The next subject 
in order is justification : What do you understand 
by justification ? 

Answer, Justification is an acquittal from a 
charge of blame. Rom. iv, 6-8. 2 Cor. v, 19. 

Q. To whom does it pertain to justify those 
who are charged with sin against God ?. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 261 

A. It is God that justifieth. Rom. viii, 33, 
Is. xxxxiii, 25, Mark ii, 7. Rom. iv, 5. 

Q, Does God in the act of justification allow, 
that men have not sinned ; or if they have, that 
their sins are of trifling, importance? 

A No. We are sure, that the judgment of 
God is according to truth ; and we have before 
proved that all are under sin, and that sin by the 
commandment is exceeding sinful. Rom. ii, 2. 
ib. vii, 13. 

Q, Upon what ground, then, does God justify 
and acquit those who are proven to be guilty of 
sin ? 

A We are justified on the ground of the righte- 
ousness of Christ. For him hath God set forth to 
be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to 
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins. 
Rom. iii, 25, 26. Is. xxxxii, 21. ib. Ixi, 10. Jer. 
xxiii, 6. Dan, ix, 24-26. Rom. viii, 3, 4. ib. 
x, 4. 1 Cor. i, 3. 2 Cor. v, 21. Bhil.iii, 8, 9. 

Q What is the condition upon which we be- 
come personally interested in the righteousness 
of Christ to pardon and justification ? 

A The condition of justification is faith in 
Christ. For he that believeth on the Son is not 
condemned; but he that believeth not is condemn- 



262 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

ed already, because he hath not believed in the 
name of the cnly begotten Son of God. John iii. 
IS. Is. iiii, 11.' Mark xvi, 16. John iii, 16. 
Rom. iiii, -3, 29-24. iS, ix, 30-32. Gal. ii, 16. 

Q Is justification an acquittal o^ the believer 
from all his sins with all their effects upon the 
divine government ; or does it extend to only a 
part of them 1 

A Justification extends to all things, from 
which ye could not be justified by the law of Mo- 
ses. Acts xiii, 39. Rom. v, 16. ib. viii, 33. 
34. 

Q Are we, by faith in Christ, made really 
righteous persons, before God, in ihe same sense 
as holy angels are righteous, and which would 
exclude the idea of grace in our justification ? 

A No. When we believe, the righteousness 
of Christ, which is not really ours, is accounted to 
us, as though it were ours : and we- are justified 
freely by the grace of God, through the redemption 
that is in Christ Jesus. Rom. iii, 24. ib. iv, 4, 
5, 16. Eph. ii, 8. Tit. iii, 4, 5. 

Q If, then, God justifies us whil/ we have no 
personal righteousness of our own, must he not 
make void the law ? 

A No. We do not make void the lawthrougk 



263 TEE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

faith: but we establish the law. Rom. iii, %L 
ib. Viii, 3 ; 4. 

Q. Will you explain how the law is establish- 
ed while those are justified who have no personal 
righteousness 1 

A The law is established in this, that Christ 
our substitute hath fulfilled the law in our stead; 
and we become interested in bis righteousness by 
faith; and henceforth make the law the rule of our 
conduct — thus accounting the law holy ,• just and 
good. Is. xxxxii, 21. Math, v, 17. Rom. x^ 4 
1 Cor. 7, 22. ib. ix, 21. 

Q, What special privileges does God confer 
upon those who are justified ? 

A Being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ : by whom, 
also, we have access, by faith, into this grace, 
wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory 
of God. Rom. v 5 1, 2, 8-10. 2 Cor. v, 19. Eph. 
ii, 12-19. 

Q Does God, also, recognize believers in 
Christ as his sons and daughters, and entitle them 
to the privileges of heirship with his Son Jesus ? 

A Yes. We are all the children of God by 
faith in Christ Jesus: and if children, then heirs; 
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. GaL 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 264 

lii. 26. Rom. viii, 17. 2 Cor. vi, 17, 13- 1 John 
iii, 1, 2. 

Q Will God ever reverse the act of justifica- 
tioii, and finally condemn those to destruction, 
whom he hath justified and thus highly distin- 
guished ? 

A Xo. Jesus said, verily, I say unto you, he 
that heareth my word, and believeth on him that 
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come 
into condemnation. John v, 24. Rom, viii, 1, 
85-39- Heb. x, 14. 39. 1 Pet. i, 5. 

REMARKS. 

First. The nature of justification. The term 
justification is derived from the proceedings of 
human courts, in which an individual, arraigned 
under charge of criminal conduct, is acquitted — 
being found innocent : and although there is, 
doubtless, a sufficient analogy between the ac- 
quittal of sinners in the divine government, and 
the justification of an accused in human judicato- 
ries to render the term admissible, yet. in the gos- 
pel, it must, obviously be taken, not in its literal 
and ordinary use. but in a figurative and accom- 
modated sense. Whatever analogy exists must 
relate, not to the grounds, but to the sequents of 
justification. In human courts, the accused is 
acquitted on the ground of his innocence, and be- 
cause he is proven to deserve it. In the divine 



tfHE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR £65 

dispensation, the accused is acquitted— having 
first been convicted of crime and personal demerit- 
In one case, justification is opposed to forgiveness: 
in the other, forgiveness is an essentail branch 
of justification. Here, it proceeds wholly upon 
the principle of unmerited grace : there, it pro* 
ceeds upon the principle of sheer and impartial jus- 
tice. Justification, in the gospel acceptation, ex- 
tends to every past offence, and provides against 
a future condemnation : under human laws, it is 
an acquittal from only the present charge, and in 
no-wise secures the justified against a subsequent 
trial and punishment upon a different ground. 
Finally, justification in an earthly court confers 
no extra immunities upon the acquitted: whereas, 
those whom God justifies he entitles to all the 
honors and privileges of sons and heirs-— they are 
made heirs of Ged, and joint heirs, with Jesus 
Christ, to the felicities of Eternal life. 

Secondly. The ground of justification* The 
scriptures evidently represent the imputed righte- 
ousness of Christ, as the ground upon which we 
are justified before God. (Is. xxxxii, 21. Jer, 
xxiii, 6. Rom. iii, 25, 26. ib. x, 4. 1 Cor. i, 30, 
2 Cor. v, 21. Phil, iii, 9.) Nevertheless, impu- 
tation must not be understood in the sense of an 
actual transfer; but in the sense of a consideration. 
It is not so much a mode of treatment, as a reason 
of treatment. Justification on account of the 
Tighteousness of Christ, is not an imparting of his 
righteousness to us, as when one puts his gar- 
Bient upon another; but it is a reason, or consider 
IB 



266 THE CATECHETICAL. INSTRUCTOR 

ation, in view of which God deals with us, as 
though we had not sinned. The righteousness of 
Christ is strictly his own ; and our unrighteous- 
ness is strictly our own. When^he " suffered, " 
it was "the just for the unjust" — the sinless for 
the guilty. He was neither made a sinner by the 
imputation of our sins; nor are we made righteous 
by the imputation of his righteousness. In the 
one case, he suffered for us, as though he had been 
a sinner; and in the other, we are acquitted, as 
though we had been righteous. Justification is 
not something done in us*; but something done 
concerning us — it is not a moral change ; (that is 
sanctification,} but a legal change — it is a change 
of our standing and position in relation to the law. 
Thirdly. The 'period of justification. The 
origin of the term justification, has led to some 
contrariety of opinions, both as to the thing itself, 
and the period when it takes place:— some re- 
presenting it as a sentence passing in the divine 
mind from eternity, others as consisting in a per- 
suasion of acceptance with God : and others still, 
as a decree to finally acquits But if this be a cor- 
rect method of representing this subject, it will 
equally apply to its opposite — condemnation : and 
yet, we, doubt whether our readers will allow, 
that none are under condemnation until they be- 
come sensibly persuaded of it, or that condemna- 
tion consists in either an eternal sentence of re- 
probation, or a decree to finally condemn. We 
are frank to admit, that God did purpose from, 
eternity to justify those who believe in Christ t 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 26T 

|Gal. iii. 8,) and that those who are justified, will 
be publicly recognized as such in the great assize 
of the world ; (Math, x, 32. Luke xii, 8) and far- 
ther, that real believers, do perhaps, at some pe- 
riod in life enjoy a strong persuasion of their ac- 
ceptance with God : (Gal. iv, 6. Eph. i, 14,) 
but this is very far from making justification to 
consist in either one of these. To us, it seems 
to be the uniform teaching of the scriptures, that 
all unbelievers are already condemned, and this 
without any regard to their persuasions on the 
subject, and that while they continue thus, they 
are children of wrath; (John iii, 18. Eph. ii, 3,) 
but, on the contrary, that, whatever justification 
may be, it takes place at the moment of believing 
in Christ. (John iii, IS. ib. v, 24. Acts xiii, 39. 
Rom. v, i, ib. 8, 1.) Fa nh is the real, and only 
bond of union with Christ; and therefore, we may 
as readily imagine a soul justified without Christ, 
as we may, that justification takes place a moment 
before, or after faith. Accordingly, it is men- 
tioned as something subsequent to predestination, 
and anterior to glorification. (Rom. viii, 30.) 

Fourthly. The extent of justification. Tha£ 
justification extends to the remission of sins that 
are past, is evident from Rom. iii, 25 : and seeing 
it is promised in John v, 24, that the believer shall 
not come into condemnation, it must also imply 
a provision against future liabilities. This pro- 
vision however does not consist in a total exemp- 
tion from the possibility of sinning, nor even from 
She certainty of it. It is a matter of experience. 



268 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

and which is corroborated by the experience of 
the most eminent and pious individuals, whose 
names are mentioned in the sacred volume, that 
frequent failures in duty, will lay the foundation 
of many an heartfelt confession and regret even 
after we have been justified by faith. But it is 
a provision of grace that the faith of the child of 
God shall not utterly fail, that his heart shall not 
depart from God — that he shall still hold on his 
way. " I will make an everlasting covenant with 
them, saith God, that I will not turn away from 
them to do them good ; and I will put my fear in 
their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." 
"The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan 
hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as 
wheat : but I have prayed for thee, that thy fail 
not." "We are kept by the power of God, 
through faith unto salvation." (Jer. xxxii, 4G. 
Luke xxii, 31, 32. 1 Pet. i, 5.) To this contin- 
ual intercession of Christ, and to this continual 
preservation in faith by the Almighty power of 
God is to be attributed the security of the soul 
against ultimate condemnation. (Rom. viii,34- 
39.) We are safe, only because God makes us 
such* 



LESSON XXXVII. 

ELECTION. 

Question. Having considered the 'plan of sal> 
Tation at full length, we are now prepared to ex- 
amine what you said in the lesson on the " Cove- 
nant of Redemption ; that God the Father, in sol- 
emn promise, guaranteed the Son, that a portion 
of the human race should certainly -belt-saved by 
his death. Did God, at that period, absolutely 
know how many, and who they were, that should 
be thus saved ? 

Answer. Yes* And whom he did' fore-know, 
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the 
image of his Son, that he might be the first born 
among many brethren. Rom. viii, 29. Eph. i, 5. 

Q; What was the first and immediate object 
to which God predestinated those whom he fore- 
knew in this special sense ? 

A They were elected according to the fore- 
knowledge of God, through sanctification of the 
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood 
of Jesus Christ- 1 Pet. i, 2. Eph. i, 4. 

Q Were they not also predestinated to salva- 
tioiij as the ultimate object of their election ? 



276 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOB. 

A Yes. W.e.are bound to give thanks always 
to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, be- 
cause God hath from the beginning chosen you 
to salvation, through sanctirlcation of the Spirit 
and belief of the truth. 2 TLes. ii, 33. Rom. 
viii, 30. Eph. i, 4, 5. 

Q Did God elect them to salvation because 
they had already obtained an interest in Christ ; 
or do men become interested in Christ, as the re- 
sult of election and predestination % 

A We have obtained an inheritance in Christ, 
being predestinated according to the purpose of 
him who worketh all things after the counsel of 
his own will. Eph. i, 11. Acts xiii, 48. John 
xv. 16. Rom. viii, 29-30. Eph. i, 4, 5. 2 Tim. 
i, 9. 1 John iv. 19. 

Q Is it absolutely certain that all the elect 
will become interested in Christ and be saved? 

A Yes. Jesus said, All that the Father giveth 
me shall come unto me : and :Am that cometh to 
me I will in no wise cast out, John vi, 37. Rom. 
viii, 30. 

By what means will they be brought to Christ, 
that their salvation will be rendered certain ? 

A The elect will be brought to Christ by the 
power of God through the gospel. For, thus saith 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 271 

the Lord, I have loved thee with an everlasting 
love; therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn 
thee. Jer. xxxi, 3. Hos. xi, 4. John vi, 44, 
45. Rom. viii, 30. 1 Cor. i, 24. 2 Cor. iii, 17, 
18. 2 Thes. ii, 13, 14. 2 Timi, 9. 

Q, Does the everlasting, electing love of God 
include the entire human race — so that all will be 
drawn to Christ and be saved ? 

A No. Christ is, to many, a stone of stumb- 
ling and a rock of offence, even to them that stum- 
ble at the word, being disobedient : whereunto 
also they were appointed. 1 Pet. ii, 8. Rom. ix. 

21, 22. Tit. i, 16. 2 Pet. ii, 1, 12. 1 John ii, 

22. Jtev. xiii, 8. 

Q, Was there any original difference in the 
moral characters of men, that God should purpose 
to save some and not others ? 

A No. The Lord looked down from heaven 
upon the children of men, to see if there were any 
that did understand and seek God. They are all 
gone aside, they are all together become filthy : 
there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Ps. 
xiv, 23. 

Q, Why then did he elect some to salvation 
and not all ? 

A He saith I will have mercy on whom 1 
wilLhave mercy; and I will have compassion o& 



272" THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

whom I will have compassion. Rom. ix, 15-* 
Math, xi, 25, 26. 

Q, How can you show that this doctrine does 
not make God a respecter of persons ? 

A A respecter of persons is one who shows a 
partiality for some on account of what they poss- 
ess more than others : which is not the case in the 
election of grace. Jas. ii, 1-4. Acts x, 34, 35. 
Rom. ix, 16. 

Q What was the influence of this doctrine 
upon the apostle Paul, as a minister of God ? 

A Paul said, Though I be free from all men, 
yet have I made myself the servant of all, that I 
might gain the more : and I endure all things for 
the elects' sake, that they may also obtain the sal- 
vation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory; 
1 Cor. ix, 19. 2 Tim. ii, 10. 

Q Is not our election to salvation, through 
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, 
an important reason why we should cultivate per- 
sonal holiness 1 

A Yes, Let us be sober, putting on the breast- 
plate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hop3 
of salvation; for God hath not appointed us to 
wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus 
Christ, 1 The v, 8, 9. Col. iii, 12, 2 Peti, 10, 
1 John iii, 33,. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 218 

Q, How may we know that God hath not ap- 
pointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation 1 

A When the gospel of Christ is received into 
good and honest hearts, and we turn from sin to 
the practice of holiness, it is evidence of our elec- 
tion to eternal life. 1 Thes. i, 3~9„ 

Q, If men persist in rebellion, turning the 
grace of God into lasciviousness, and an occasion 
to sin, have they not reason to fear that they are 
predestinated to destruction ? 

A Yes, The prophet said, I know that God 
hath determined to destroy thee, because thou 
hast done this, and hast not hearkened to my coun- 
sel. 2 Ohron, xxv, 16, 1 Sam. ii, 25. 1 Pet; 
ii, 8. Jude 4. 

REMARKS. 

The doctrine of election, in some form orlother, 
is admitted by all who believe the bible. In the 
lesson above, we have briefly exhibited what we 
conceive to be the scriptural account of the elec- 
tion of grace : and which we define to be, the eter- 
nal and unchangeable purpose and design of God, 
to save in Christ a definite number of the fallen 
race of Adam — and that, not on account of any 
good worJcs done by them, or any good quality fore- 
seen' in them, but of his own sovereign pleasure*. 
As Election, however, in its highest or lowest 
sense, whether national or individual, whether to- 



OT4 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

iemperal or eternal blessings, is but one feature 
of the great purpose of God in the creation and 
government of the world ; and as that, which is 
true of the whole subject, is equally true of all its 
specific forms, we submit the following upon the 
general subject. And, 

First. The purpose of God demonstra- 
ted. It does, indeed, seem wonderful, that men 
need to be convinced, that God is a Being of pur- 
pose : and seeing he is possessed of all power, 
wisdom, and goodness, they should need to be 
persuaded, that he could purpose nothing, which 
will not be promotive of the highest good to an 
intelligent universe, and that no event can take 
place contrary to that purpose. But since the de- 
pravity of our nature is such as to render proof 
necessary, it may be deduced 

(1) From Ms fore -knowledge. " Known unto 
God are all his works from the beginning of the 
world." "I am God, and there is none like me, 
declaring the end from the beginning, and from 
ancient times, things not yet done," (Acts xv, 
18. Is. xxxxvi, 9, 10.) From these and similar 
expressions with which the scriptures abound, it 
must be conceded, that God fore-sees with abso- 
lute certainty every event connected with his 
creatures, both in this world, and the next : and 
since it were a contradiction in terms, to say that 
he fore-knows an event as certain, which might 
not occur, there must be an infallible certainty 
attending the occurrence of every event, which he 
fore-sees will take place. This certainty, how- 



•TME CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. ^75 

ever, does not lie in his foreknowledge, nor in 
any wise result from at. Fore-knowledge, which 
is only a previous recognition of an event yet to 
transpire, does of itself no more render an event 
certain, than does after- knowledge. To account 
if or this certainty, then, we are obliged to admit, 
either the heathen law of fatal necessity, or the 
purpose of an infinitely wise, and holy God. The 
absurdity of the former, brings us inevitably to 
the latter. 

(2) From his universal agency in the moral 
world. " O Lord, I know that the way of man is 
not in himself" — "Man's goings are of the Lord:" 
" A man's heart deviseth his way ; but the Lord 
directeth his steps"- — The King's heart is in the 
hand of the Lord as the rivers of water, he turn- 
eth it whithesoever he will" — ^The most High 
God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and appointeth 
over it whomsoever he will" — " There is no pow- 
er but of God ; the powers that be are ordained 
of God" — " The steps of a good man are ordered 
by the Lord" — a It is God that worketh in you, 
both to will and to do of his own good pleasure. 
(Jer. x, 23. Pro. xx, 24. ib. xvi, 9, ib. xxi, 1. 
Dan: v, 21. Rom. xiii, 1, Ps. xxxvii, 23. Phil, 
ii, 13.) The sentiment contained in these divine 
declarations seems to be this, that, however dif- 
ferent may be its modes, yet as to the fact itself 
the control which the deity exercises over the 
moral and political world, is not less absolute than 
that which he exercises over the material universe: 
and there are, perhaps, seasons in the life of <eve» 



276 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

ry pious man, when he, not only acknowledges 
this in prayer, but from thence also derives strong 
support and consolation in trial and misfortune. 
But if it is allowed that God directs the affairs of the 
moral world, he must do so, either according to 
whim and caprice; or according to some estab- 
lished purpose, and to the attainment of wise and 
holy ends. The absurdity of the former, brings 
us inevitably to the latter. 

(3) From express declarations of scripture. The 
scriptures do, indeed, detail only the leading 
events of the divine providence: but as these were 
dependant upon the intervention of means and se- 
cond causes; therefore, the intermediate occurren*. 
ces must have been certain, in the same manner 
as their final results. Now it is beyond dispute, 
that God did purpose and determine the leading 
facts of the old world : for example, that Joseph 
should be sold into Egypt: (Gen. 1, 20: the con- 
duct of Pharaoh towards the Israelites : (Ex. ix, 
16. Rom. ix, 17 :) the opposition of the Canaan- 
itish nations to the Jews : (Josh, xi, 20:) the ob- 
stinacy of the sons of Eli to their destruction : (1 
Sam. ii, 25:) the invasion of Egypt and the " holy 
land' ' by the King of Assyria : (Is. xix, 17. ib. x, 
5-7:) the seventy years captivity of the Jews in 
Babylon: (Jer. xxv, 11 :) and their emancipation 
by Cyrus the King of the Medes : (Is. xxxxiv, 
28. Jer. xxv, 12-14 :) the time, and place, and 
manner of the birth and death of Christ: (Dan, 
ix, 24, 25. Math, i, 18-23, ib. ii, 5, 6. Gel. hv 
4. Luke xxii, 22. Acts ii, 23. ib. iv, 28.) The 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 2?? 

Invasion of Jerusalem by the Roman army with 
all their horrid desolations : (Dan. ix, 26, 27 :) 
the establishment and perpetuity of the christain 
church: (Eph, iii, 10, 11:) the apostacy, and 
the rise of the man of sin : (2 Thes, ii, 3:) in a 
word, the times, residences, and all the events of 
every man's life. (Job vii, 1-3. ib. xiv. 5. ib. 
xx, 29. Acts xvii, 26. 1 Thes. v, 9. i Pet. 
ii, 8. Acts i, 25. Jude4.) It is confidently be- 
lieved that a careful examination of the numerous 
inferences will sufficiently satisfy the impartial 
reader : and if any should still be disposed to be- 
lieve the opposite, there will be ground to fear 
that*God hath sent them strong delusion that they 
should believe a lie. (1 Thes. ii, 11.) 

Secondly. The purpose of God qualified 
(1) It is eternal. The design of God in the 
creation and government of the universe, was the 
manifestation of his own glory, (Rev. iv. 11.) 
This design necessarily embraced both his natu- 
ral and moral perfections — the former of which, 
are unfolded in the extent and variety of creation: 
(Ps. viii, 3, 4. ib. xix, 1. ib. civ, 24. ib. cxxxxv, 
10. Rom. i, 20:) and the latter, in the dispensa- 
tions of his providence towards this lower world, 
(Ps. xi, 16, ib. lxxxv, 10. ib. lxxxxii, 6, 7. Rom. 
xi, 22. Eph. iii, 10. In the execution of this de- 
sign, God has pursued that plan, which in the es- 
timation of his own omniscience was the best 
adapted to the end contemplated : and it must be 
obvious to every one who admits the omniscenoe 



268 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 



of God, that whatever reason has existed at any 
period to determine his conduct in any case, the 
same, with all its force was beheld by him from 
eternal ages. Accordingly, we are positively as- 
sured, that the purpose of the deity with regard 
to his church — that sublimest establishment for 
the display of his moral perfections, and for whose 
promotion, mainly, he exercises continual and 
special superintendence over the whole moral and 
physical universe — that his purpose with regard 
to his church was formed and matured in the un> 
fajhonable depths of eternity. "To the intent 
that now unto principalities and powers in heaven- 
ly places, might be known by the church the 
manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal 
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our 
Lord." (Eph, iii, 10,11.) 

(2) It is sovereign, absolute, and unchangeable. 
God does nothing without a reason : nevertheless, 
he does not always see fit to give that reason to 
his creatures. (Job xxxiii, 13. Pro. xxv, 2.) 
Why he chose to develope his natural perfections 
by one method, and his moral perfections by an- 
other — why he chose to display his justice by one 
instrument, and his mercy by a different one. 
{Rom. xi, 22,) why he chose of the same lump to 
make one vessel unto honor, and the other unto 
dishonor. (Rom, ix, 21-23;) why he chose the 
same characters to appoint some to wrath, and 
others to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ : (1 
Thes. v, 9. 2 Pet. ii, 8) in all this, there were 
doubtless sufficient reasons to justify the divine 



THE ©ATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 21©* 

conduct : to us, however the only reason that ap- 
pears, is because " thus it seemeth good in thy 
sight .0 Lord." (Math, xi, 25, 26.) That the 
purpose of God in these things, (and the world is 
full of analagous events) is sovereign, absolute, 
and immutable, all are obliged to allow : espe- 
cially, when we remember what the scriptures 
abundantly teach, that our election to eternal life, 
was jiot so much on acccount of any good works 
done by us, or any good quality foreseen in us 
more than others, as that these latter are the re- 
sult of our appointment to salvation — according 
to what is written, " we love him, because he 
first loved us." (1 John iv, 19. John xv, 16. 
Acts xiii, 48. Rom, viiii, 29. Eph. i, 4, 5, 11* 
2 Thes. ii, 13. 2Tim. 1, 9. 1 Pet. i, 2. 

(3) In election it is personal and definite. There 
is a sense in which, as we have seen, the divine 
fore know is universal, extending to all per- 
sons and events : but seeing it is said, " whom he 
fore-knowledge he also did predestinate, to be 
conformed to the image of his Son; and whom he 
did predestinate, them he also called; and whom 
he called, them he also justified ; and whom he 
justified, them he also glorified." (Rom. viii, 29^ 
30:) there must be a sense also in which it is 
special, and extending only to those who shall ul- 
timately be saved. (Math, vii, 23.) Farther, 
*sinceitis said in Math, xx, 16. ib. xxii, 14, that 
" many are called, but few chosen," and above, 
"whom he called them he also glorified;" 
there must be sense in which the divine call 



280 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

is special, reaching to such only as shall be 
eventully glorified. Now a special fore -know* 
ledge and a special calling evidently import 
definiteness : and as these are seen to relate to 
the identical individuals who are predestinated, 
therefore, predestination and election must be 
personal. Accordingly, we have the following 
scriptures : " All that the Father giveth me shall 
come unto me—" I speak not of you all, I know 
whom I have chosen" — "He hath chosen us in 
him before the foundation of the world"—" God 
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation" 
— " Even so then, at this present time also, there 
is a remnant according to the election of grace." 
(John vi, 37, ib. xiii, 18. Eph. i, 4. 2 Thes. ii, 
13. Rom. xi, 15.) 

Thirdly. The purpose of God harmonized 
(1) With the divine impartiality. A respecter of 
persons is one who grounds his partiality upon 
some worldly or external contingency. (Acts x, 
34, 35. James ii, 1-4.) But we have shown 
that the divine election to eternal life, so far from 
recognizing such petty distinctions, does not even 
proceed upon the ground of any goodness of char- 
acter of which we may boast — that whatever rea- 
son influenced the divine determination, it was 
not found in man — that "it is not of him that 
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that 
showeth mercy." (Rom. ix, 16.) There isf 
therefore, as much reason to suppose the potter 
partial, when, from the same lump, he makes one 
vessel unto an honorable use, and another to a 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 281 

dishonorable use, as there is to imagine partiality 
in God, when he appoints some to salvation rath- 
er than others. 

(2) With the voluntary agency of men. A free 
agent is one who wills or chooses, and who has 
the power to follow 7 his incliations ; and to show- 
any discrepancy between the absolute purpose of 
God, and the utmost freedom of human agency, it 
were necessary to evince, that the purpose of God 
does in some wise incapacitate men for choosing, 
or for doing that which they choose, This, it is 
believed, cannot be shown. In the examples 
specified above, (and many others similar might 
be added) nothing is more manifest, than, while 
in every instance the divine purpose w r as literally 
executed, the persons by whom it was done, were 
to the fullest extent voluntary, and followers of the 
desires and intents of their own hearts. The 
truth is, the scriptures not only represent the di- 
vine purpose as compatible with free agency ; 
but even the divine agency itself, " working all 
things in us after the counsel of his own will," as 
the ground and cause of our free agency. " Work 
out your own salvation with fear a:id trembling ; 
for, (or because) it is God, that worketh in you 
both to will and to do ^f his own good pleasure." 
(Phil, ii, 12, 13.) This, too, is perfectly conso- 
nant with our daily experience. We breathe, 
walk, speak and do all things, because the di- 
vine power working in us, enables us thus to do. 
(3) With the use of means. The divine gov- 
emment is one of instrumentalities. The means 
19 



282 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

necessary to accomplish his designs, were as abso- 
lutely ordained as were the ends to be answered. 
Nay, according to his wise and holy purpose, the 
same events often occupy the relation of both 
means and ends — ends with reference to the past, 
but means with regard to the future. Witness 
the case of Joseph, of Pharaoh, and others before 
mentioned. It was not simply purposed that Jo- 
seph should be sold into Egypt ; but that thereby 
" much people should be saved alive." Nor was 
it the ultimatum of God's purpose that Pharaoh's 
heart should be hardened; but, that thus, the di- 
vine glory might be displayed in a miraculous de- 
liverance of his chosen people. No purpose of 
the deity is more absolute than that which relates 
to the term of man's life. "His days are deter- 
mined, the number of his months is with God ;• 
thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot 
pass." (Job xiv. 5, ib. vii, 1.) Nevertheless, no 
one considers, that, for this reason, means to pre- 
serve life are wholly unnecessary ; or that he may 
disregard the necessary means for this purpose 
And thus in the gospel, God has absolutely and 
infallibly ordained the salvation of some; and the 
means necessary to the end — repentance toward 
God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ — is a 
part of that absolute purpose and indispensable 
to be observed. In harmony with this, none have 
been more distinguished for active piety, than the 
eminent St. Paul, whose strong language, on this, 
sublime doctrine, has staggered many a weak 
mind,. and which the ungodly "wrest, as they do. 



IBE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 283 

also the other scriptures to their own destruction." 
(2 Pet. iii, 16.) 



LESSON XXXX.YIH.. 

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. 

Question. The subject next to be considered* 
after the plan and purpose of redeeming mercy, is 
the perseverance of the saints. What do you un- 
derstand by the final perseverance of the saints ? 

Answer. The final perseverance of the saints^ 
is a patient continuance in well-doing, seeking for 
glory, and honor, and immortality, to eternal life, 
Rom. ii, 7. Phil, iii, 12-17. 2 Pet. i, 5-11. 

Q Is it your opinion that they who have been 
regenerated and become christians by the effec- 
tual operation cf God, will thus persevere and be 
saved ? 

A Yes. Being confident of this very thing, 
that he who hath begun a good work in you, will 
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phik i, 
6w flUi, 12, 13. 



284 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

Q Why are you thus confident, that God, hav- 
ing begun a good work in the soul, will not leave 
it unfinished, and permit the christian to perish 
at last I 

A Because, thus saith the Lord, I will make 
an everlasting covenant with them, that I will 
not turn away from them, to do them good ; but I 
will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall 
not depart from me. Jer. xxxii, 40. ib. xxxi, 31- 
34. 

Q Does this everlasting covenant embrace all 
the events through which the christian shall pass 
in life ? 

A Yes. David said, God hath made with me 
an everlating covenant, ordered in all things, and 
sure : and this is all my salvation, and all my de- 
sire. 2 Sa'm. xxiii, 5. Is, lv, 3. Heb. viii, 10- 
12. ib.x. 14-18. 

Q Are we to understand from hence, that the 
christian is entirely exempted from temptation, 
so that he cannot possibly fall into sin, even great 
sin 1 

A No. But though he fall, he shall not be ut- 
terly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with 
his hand. Ps. xxxviii, 24. ib. lxxxix. 30-34. 
Pro: xxiv, 16. Mic. vii, 8. Luke xxi, 31-32. 1 
Cor. x, 13. Heb. ri, 8, ib. x, 39, 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 285 

Q Is it not, however, a matter of fact, that 
many, who have professed to be christians, and 
for a time given good evidence of it, have finally 
fallen away and died in apostacy ? 

A Yes. They went out from us, but they were 
not of us ; for if they had been of us, they would 
no doubt have continued with us : but they w r ent 
out, that they might be made manifest, that they 
were not of us. 1 John ii, 19. Ps. 1, 4. Math. 
vii, 21-23. ib. xiii, 20, 21. ib, xxv, 3. John vi, 
70, 71. Acts i, 25. 1 Cor. xi, 9. 1 Tim. i, 20 ... 
2 Tim. ii, 17-19. Heb. x, 38. 2 Pet. ii, 22. 

Q, But did not God, even after he had actual- 
ly saved the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, 
subsequently destroy large numbers of them in 
the wilderness ? 

A Yes. And because of unbelief they were 
broken off; but thou standest by faith. Rom. xi, 
20. Heb. iii, 9-12. 2 Cor. 5, 7. Eph. ii, 8. 

Q, For what purpose were these things writ- 
ten, if the real christian cannot also fall away and 
be lost ? 

A They were written for our admonition, up- 
on whom the ends of the world are come, to the 
intent that we should labor lest any man fall after 
the same example of unbelief, 1 Coiv x, 11- 
Heb. iv, 11. 



286 THE CATECHETICAL IXSTRUCTOE. 

Q Do you, then, consider all the warnings 
and cautions on this subject, as intended to lead 
us to self-examination, watchfulness, and prayer, 
lest after all we should not be christians ? 

A. Yes. Examine yourselves whether ye be 
in the faith, prove your own selves: and let us fear? 
-est a promise being left us of entering into his rest, 
any of you should seem to c:ome short of it. 2 
Cor. xiii, 5. Heb. iv, 1. I Pet. i, IT. 

Q What is the most infallible evidence of real 
Christianity in the soul ? 

A We are made partakers of Christ, if we 
hold fast our confidence steadfast unto the end* 
lieb. iii, 14. Math, vii, 15-20. John xv, 6. 
Rom. vi, 16. Heb. iii, 6. 1 John i, 7. James 
i, 22-7. 

Q Does the perseverance of the saints depend 
upon the constancy and strength of their own pi- 
ous efforts ? 

A No, But ye are kept by the power of God, 
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed 
at the last time, 1 Pet. i, 5. Ps. cxxi, 2-8. John 
x, 27-29. 

Q If, then, the power of God is engaged to 
keep his people, must it not be impossible that any 
thing should overthrow and destroy them? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 287 

A Yes. I am persuaded that neither death, 
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, 
nor things present, northings to come, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other created, shall be able to 
separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord; Rom. viii, 38, 39. Eph. 
i, 21, 22. -Col. i, 16-1-8. 

Q. But is it not dangerous to the interests of 
the soul, that men should believe this doctrine? 

A, No. We know, that when Christ shall ap- 
pear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him 
as he is : and every one that hath this hope in 
him purifieth himself, even as he as pure. 1 John 
iii, 2, 3. 1 Cor. ix, 27. 2 Cor. v, 1, 9. 

Q, What peculiar advantage can result from 
the admission that the real christian cannot ulti- 
mately perish ? 

A God willing to shew unto the heirs of prom- 
ise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it 
by an oath; that by two immutable things in which 
is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong 
consolation, who had *£led for refuge to lay hold 
upon the hope set before us. Hefe. vi, 17-1 8* 
John vi, 57. ib. xiv, 1-3, 19. 

REMARKS. 

We have defined the perseverance of the saints, to 

be " a patient- continuance An welldoing? seeking 



288 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

for glory, and honor, and immortality, to etema^ 
life." In this, however, it is neither pretended, 
that all who profess to be christians are such in 
reality; nor that the real christian may not occa- 
sionally do wrong, or even greatly so ; — it is pre- 
tended neither that the perseverance of the saints 
depends alone upon their " power and holiness ;" 
nor yet that any will be saved, who do not endure 
to the end. We intend, simply, that the continual 
superintendence and grace of God will be vouch- 
safed unto them in such measure and manner as 
to render their salvation certain, through faith and 
obedience : and we subjoin the following, as ad- 
ditional evidence of this doctrine. 

First. The purpose of God in the provisions 
of grace. If the believer is not ultimately saved, 
it can result from no inadequacy in the means 
provided for his* complete and final redemption. 
.An atonement of ample capacity has been made, 
whose efficacious power extends commensurate 
with all the aggravations and enormities of sin. 
Next to this, God hath sent forth hirs almighty Spi- 
rit to take of the things of Christ, and render tLeni 
effectual, by enlightening the understanding, reno- 
vating the heart and sanctifying the affections — 
thus befitting the soul for the felicities of heaven, 
To this, it may be added, he has bestowed upon 
his people a volume of inspired counsels and cau- 
tions, premonitions and promises of the most be- 
nign and salutary influence; and has, moreover, 
instituted a class of men, whose primary business 
)t shall be, to the end of time, to watch over the 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 289 

spiritual interests of his saints, "till they all come 
in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the 
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure 
of the stature of the fulness of Christ." These 
provisions, abundant and saving, in their charac- 
ter, had their origin in the sovereign good-will of 
God, and were conferred upon his chosen wholly 
irrespective of merit in them : nor can it be denied, 
that God had in view, by them, to save a portion 
of the human race or that his infinite wisdom and 
power will render that purpose certain. But it 
must appear obvious, that whatever certainty at- 
tends the divine purpose in this case, must in like 
manner attend the final perseverance of the saints. 
Secondly. The 'promise made to Christ in the 
covenant of redemption. " When thou shalt make 
his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, 
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the 
Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall see 
the travail of his soul, and be satisfied; by his 
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify 
many ; for he shall bear their iniquities. There- 
fore, will I divide him a portion with the great, 
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, be- 
cause he hath poured out his soul unto death : and 
he was numbered with the transgressors ; and he 
bare the sin of many, and made intercession for 
the transgressors." " My covenant will I not 
break, nor alter the thing that has ^>one out of 
my lips." Once have I sworn by my holiness, 
that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall 
endure forever, and his throne as the sun before* 



290 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

me." (Is. liii, 10-12. Ps. lxxxix, 34-36.) That 
these promises refer directly to the case before us, 
will not be questioned by the impartial reader; 
and they unequivocally assert, that in considera- 
tion of the vicarious death and intercession, Christ 
should receive a " seed," who should be "justifi- 
ed" and " endure forever." The guaranty of 
these promises was the immutable oath of the 
Holy God: and in Is. ix, 7. ib. lxix, 7, it is said 
with equal emphasis that the "zeal" of " God that 
is faithful" will fulfil them. It was, therefore, 
with the utmost confidence, that Jesus said, " All 
that the Father giveth me, shall come unto me :" 
u My Father, which gave them me, is greater than 
all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my 
Father's hand." (John vi, 37. ib. x, 29.) But 
this confidence was vain if perseverance of the 
saints is not absolutely certain. 

Thirdly. The promises made to the believer 
in the covenant of grace* The covenant of grace 
is, properly, a promissory pledge or assurance 
gratuitously given to the believer by the blessed 
God, that he will do, or cause to be done, all 
things necessary to the present and eternal good 
of his people. Among its specific and immediate 
blessings, may be instanced the pardon of sins, 
justification, adoption, and a felicitous control and 
direction of providence : and whether we consid- 
er this covenant as a whole, or with reference to 
its specific benefits, it is absolute and final. " I 
will make with them an everlasting covenant, 
,saith God, that I will not turn away from them, 



TEE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 291 

'to do them good ; and I will put my fear m their 
hearts, that they shall not depart from me" — "I 
will be their God, and they shall be my people" 
— -and I will forgive their iniquity, and I will re- 
member their sins no more." (Jer. xxxii, 40, ib. 
xxxi, 33, 34. Heb. x, 16, 17.) After the same 
manner ako, Jesus said, " Verily, verily, I say 
unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth 
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and 
shall not come into condemnation." " For this 
is the will of him that sent me, that every ene 
which seeth the Son and believeth on him, may 
have everlasting life : and I will raise him up at 
the last day." " As the living Father hath sent 
me, and as I live by the Father ; so he that eat- 
eth me, even he shall live by me." (Johnv, 24, 
ib. vi, 40, 57.) To render these promises infal- 
libly certain, we are furthermore assured, that 
Christ hath been exalted head over all things, 
both in heaven and earth to the church, and that 
" all things shall work together for good to them 
that love God, to them who are the called accord- 
ing to his purpose" — that " no evil shall befall 
them" — that " with every temptation, he will 
make a way of escape*" {Eph. i, 22. Rom. viii, 
28. Ps. xci, 10. 1 Cor. x, 18.) If, then, the 
perseverance of the saints is not certain and final, 
there must be a failure both of the promise and 
the providence of God. 

Fourthly. The character of those who apos- 
tatize. We feel no disposition to conceal the 
fact, that many who profess Christianity, and for 



292 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

a time give evidence of real piety, do afterwards 
fall away and die in the midst of nefarious wick- 
edness : but, it certainly discovers great want of 
candour, or great want of familiarity with the 
scriptures, to infer from hence, that a real chris- 
tian may finally apostatize and be lost. The so- 
lution of this difficulty will be found in a careful 
examination of the criteria of christian character 
as defined in the word of God. Oi these criteria, 
one of the leading is a firm, steadfast, and con- 
tinuous pursuit of divine things. " Christ, as a 
Son, is faithful over his house : whose house are 
we, if we hold fast the confidence, and the rejoi- 
cing of the hope firm unto the end." (Heb. iii, 
6, 14.) Hence also, the righteous are represent- 
ed as "planted in the house of the Lord," — as 
" swearing to their own hurt and changing not" — 
as having " their heart fixed, trusting in the 
Lord." (Ps. xcii, 13, ib. xv. 4, tk cxii, 7.) On 
the contrary, the unstable, indeterminate, and 
those who turn away, are represented as being 
ungodly, and really unfit for the kingdom of hea- 
ven. Thus, for example ; " The ungodly are 
like the chaff, which the wind driveth away" — 
M He that received the seed into stony places, the 
same is he which heareth the word, and anon 
with joy receiveth it : yet, hath he not root in him- 
self, but dureth for a while ; for when tribulation 
or persecution a^riseth because of the word, by 
and by he is offended." " No man having put 
his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for 
the Kingdom of heaven." (Ps. i, 4. Math, xiii. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOE. 293 

30, 21. Luke ix, 62.) It is, therefore, most ev- 
ident, that immovableness, steadfastness, princi- 
ple, purpose, aud perseverence, enter essentially 
into christian character ; and, that where the for- 
mer are not, the latter is wanting also. Accord- 
ingly, the apostle John found no difficulty in de- 
ciding, that apostates were not christians : (1 John 
ii, 19) nor St. Faul in saying, " We are not of 
them, who draw back unto perdition ; but of them 
which believe to the saving of the soul." (Heb, 
x, 39.) 

From this lesson, we infer, 

(1) The strength of the christian' '$ hope and 
consolation, "Why art thou cast do wn O my 
soul ? and why .art thou disquieted within me ? — > 
Hope thou in God ; for I shall yet praise hiim 
who is the health of my countenance, and my 
God." (Ps. xlii, 11.) "All things are yours" — 
whether the Atonement, or the Holy Spirit, or 
the gospel, or the ministry, or the promises, or the 
providences of God, — all are yours, and ye are 
Christ's, and Christ is God's. " All things work 
together for our good" — "I am persuaded, that 
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principali- 
ties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to 
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea- 
ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom, 
viii, 38. 39.) 

(2) The strong ground of the christian's fear. 
Art thou a christian ? Hast thou been reffenenu 



2M THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

ted and born again? Examine thyself, whether 
thou art in the faith. " Know ye not, that to 
whomsoever ye yield yourselves servants to obey, 
his servants ye are to whom ye obey ? — whether 
of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteous- 
ness." "If any man- be in Christ he is a new 
creature: old things have passed away: behold 
all things hare become new." " We are made 
partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our 
confidence steadfast unto the end." "There- 
fore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, un- 
movable, always abounding in the work of the 
Lord, forasmuch as ye know, that your labour is 
not in vain in the Lord;" (Rom* vi, 16. 2 Cor, 
v, 17. Heb. iii, 14. 1 Cor. xv, 58.) Let us 
labour, as though our salvation depended alone 
upon us ; and trust in God, as though we had 
done nothing. 



LESSON XXXIX. 

DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION. 

Q. There are but two classes of persons in the 
world — the righteous and the wicked : what is* 
said of the manner of their death ? 



THE CATECHETICAL IICSTRUCTOR, 29& 

A. The wicked is driven away in his wicked- 
ness : but the righteous hath hope in his -death.* 
Fro. xiv, 32, ib. xi, % Num. xxiii. 10. Rev. xiv,, 
13. 

Q. When men die do their souls and bodies 
perish together ?• 

A. No. The body shall return to the earth as 
it was; and the spirit shall return' unto God, who 
gave it. Eccl. xii, 7. Gen* iii, 19. Job xxxiv, 
15. Eccl. iiiv 21. Acts vii, 59. 

Q. Into what condition do the souls of men 
pass after death ? 

A. The souls of the righteous are happy after 
death : but tho&e of the wicked go into torment : 
as in the case of the rich man and Lazarus. — 
Luke xvi, 19-25* 

Q. Will not the bodies of men be eventually 
raised up< and united with their souls in happiness 
or misery, as they were also in sin or holiness ? 

A. Yes. The hour is coming, in the which all 
that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the 
Son of God, and shall come forth : they that have 
done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they 
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of dam- 
nation. John v, 28, 29* Dan. xii, 2. Acts 
miv, 15- Rev, xx, 13. 



296 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

Q* At what period will this event *ake place ? 

A. The resurrection of the dead will take place 
in the end of the world, at the last day. John 
xi, 24. Luke xix. 12-27. 2 Thes. ii, 1-3. 

Q. Will the bodies of men, in the resurrection, 
be subjected to all their present, mortal weak- 
nesses ? 

' A. No. In death, the body is sown in cor- 
ruption, it is raised in incorruption : it is sown in 
dishonour, it is raised in glory : it is sown in 
weakness, it is raised in power : it is sown a na- 
tural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 1 Cor, 
xv, 42-44. 

Q. After the resurrection, will the same rela- 
tions exist, as in this world ? 

A. ±so. In the resurrection, men neither mar- 
ry, nor are given in marriage ; but are as the 
angels of God in heaven. Math, xxii, 30. 

Q. Was the doctrine of the resurrection and a 
future state known and believed by the Old Tes- 
tament saints? 

A. Yes. Job said, I know, that my Redeemer 
liveth, and that he shall stand in the latter day 
upon the earth : and though after my skin worms 
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God ; 
whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall 



*r&E CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 29t 

behold, and not another. Job xix, 25-27. See 
also Ex. iii, 6, comp'd Math, xxii, 27. Ps. lxix, 
15. Is. xxvi, 19. Ezek. xxxvii, 10. Dan. xii, 
2. Hos. xiii, 14. Acts xxvi, 6-8, Heb, vi, 2, 
lb. xi, 9, 10, £2, 35. 

REMARKS. 

First. The certainty of the resurrection. The 
resurrection of the dead, is strictly a scriptural 
doctrine. The heathen philosophers, however 
they believed the immortality of the soul and a 
future state j yet entertained no apprehensions that, 
when once the body had returned to corruption, it 
would ever be again resuscitated, and made to live. 
The analogy of nature; the retributive character 
of the divine government; (2 Cor. v, 10,) and the 
resurrection of Christ, are, indeed, its irrefragable 
evidences : (1 Cor. xv, 12-14;) but it is conso- 
nant to reason, that being ignorant of the two last, 
they should have entirely overlooked the first. 
Hence, when the apostle, in the midst of the learn- 
ed court of the Areopagites, proclaimed this doc- 
trine, he was denounced as a " babler," and a pro- 
pagator of " strange things." Nevertheless, it is 
set forth as one of "the first principles of the ora- 
cles of God ":" (Heb. vi, 2.) and this applies 
equally to the scriptures of the Old or New Tes- 
tament. The intelligent and candid student of the 
bible, need not be told, that it was taught by Mo- 
^ses and the prophets as a special "hope promis- 
ed to the fathers." (Acts xxvi, 6-8) nor vet, that 
20 



398 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

« 

it was held, centuries before, by Abraham and 
Job, as an -abiding antidote, to affliction, sorrow 
and care. Under both, dispensations, the pros- 
pect of a " better resurrection," was, to the saints 
of the Most High, a never failing solace amid the 
fires of persecution : (Heb. xi, 35.) and upon no 
other principle is it possible to explain the directions 
given by the ancients, respecting their mortal 
remains. (Heb. xi, 2-2.) 

Secondly. The agent in the resurrection, 
The curious and inquisitive mind, interposes two 
difficulties to the resurrection of the dead: — the 
one, arising from the vast population of the globe; 
and the other, in connexion with personal identi- 
ty. With what bodies shall these all come forth? 
and where shall they stand in the last day ? To 
questions of this character, it were, perhaps, suffi- 
cient to reply, that an instance of mysteries is not 
a satisfactory refutation of authenticated facts, 
The most common and every-day occurrences of 
Bfe ? are replete with wonders, not less insolvable 
hy the human mind than the greatest embarrass- 
ments w r hich are supposed to attend the resurrec- 
tion of the dead. tt No man .knoweth any thing- 
yet as he ought to know it." Especially, "ye do 
err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of 
God." (Math, xxii, 29.) Did the scriptures re- 
present, that the same organized and material 
bodies which are originally intered, should be 
again raised up, and made to occupy the serial 
heavens, (1 Thes. iv, 17,) a right appreciation 
of the divine attributes; and a proper reverence- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 299 

lor the divine holiness and truth, would silence 
every doubt that it should be done. How much 
less, however, may we question this fundamental 
doctrine, when- we are assured, that, while an 
identity adequate to all governmental purposes 
will be strictly maintained, the substances of these 
bodies shall be so far changed as to admit no em- 
barrassment arising from locality and the conti- 
guity of other substances. The divine power will 
be specially concerned in the resurrection of the 
dead ; and he will give to every one a body as it 
pleaseth him; and to every one his own body. (I 
Cor. xv, 33.) This body, we are taught shall be 
incorruptible and spiritual ; nor can it be denied 
that the divine energy is infinitely competent to 
this wonderful event. " It is God that raiseth the 
dead," 



LESSON XL. 

THE FINAL JUDGMENT. 

Question. What event will take place next 
after death and the resurrection ? 

Answer. It is appointed unto men once to die; 
feut after this-the judgment, Heb. ix, 27. 



300 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

Q Does God pass a final sentence upon every 
man at the hour of death ; or is there a day of 
special and formal judgment appointed? 

A God hath appointed a (special) day, in the 
which he will judge the world in righteousness by 
that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he 
hath given assurance unto all men in that he raised 
him from the dead. Acts xvii, 31. Math, x, 15* * 
ik xii, 36. 1 Cor. v, 5. 2 Cor, i, 14. 1 Thes. 
v, 2, 2 Pet. ii, 4, 9. ih. iii, 7, 10. 1 John iv< 
17. Jude 6. 

Q, Will God the Father, or God the Son, act 
as judge in that day ? 

A The Father judgeth no man ; but hath com* 
mitted all judgment to the Son : and he gave him 
this authority to execute judgment, because he 
was the Son of man; (or because he humbled him- 
self.) John v, 22, 27. Acts x, 42, Rom. xiv r 
10-12, 2 Cor. v, 10. Phil ii, 6-11. 2 Tim. 
iv, 1. 

Q, In what manner will Jesus Christ be re- 
vealed, when he shall come to judge the world ? 

A The Son of man will come in the glory of 
his Father, attended with thousands of holy angels: 
a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very 
^tempestuous round about him. Math, xvi, 27. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 301 

Ps. 1, 3. Dan. vii, 9, 10. Acts i, 11. 1 Thes. 
iv, 16. 2 Thes. i, 7-10, Rev. i, 7. 

Q, Who will be the subjects' of judgment 
when Christ shall come in his glory ? 

A When the Son of man shall come in his 
glory, and all his holy angels with him ; then shall 
he sit upon the throne of his glory : and before 
him shall be gathered all nations— the dead, both 
small and great shall stand before God. Math* 
xxv, 31, 32. Rev. xx, 12. Ps. v, 4, 5. 

Q Will not the fallen angels, also, be brought 
before the judgment seat of Christ, that they may 
receive a formal and public condemnation ? 

A Yes. And the angels, which kept not their 
first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath 
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, 
untothe judgment of the great day, Jude vL Math, 
riii, 29. 2 Pet. ii, 4. 

Q, Will the righteous and the wicked stand 
together, in the judgment, in one vast and mingled 
multitude as in this life; or will the judge separate 
them, preparatory to final condemnation or acquit- 
tal? 

A The judge shall separate them one from 
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from 
the goats : for the ungodly shall not stand in the 



302 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the 
righteous. Math, xxv, 32. Ps. i, 5. 

Q After the subjects of judgment shall have 
been thus separated, will the judge pass sentence 
upon them in mass ; or will he decide upon the 
works of every one individually and separately 1 

A Everyone of us shall give account of him- 
self to God: and he will bring every work into 
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be 
good, or whether it be evil. Rom. xiv, 12. Eccl. 
xii, 14. Jer. xvii, 10. Math, xii, 36. ib. xxv. 
35-45. 1 Cor. iv, 5. 

Q Will the judge, in that day, have any re- 
spect to the personal circumstances and standing 
of men ; or will he judge them strictly according 
to the character of their works', as recorded in the 
court of heaven ! 

A He shall not judge after the sight of the eyes/, 
nor after the hearing of the ears : but the books 
will be opened, and another book will be opened 
which is the book of life : and the dead shall be 
judged out of those things which are written in the 
books, according to their works. Is. xi, 3. Rev. 
xx, 12. Dan. vii, 10. Acts xvii, 13. Rom. Ji. 
2, 16. Mai. iii, 16, 17. 

Q What will the judge say to the righteous, whose 
names are written in the Lamb's boolc of life 1 



THE -CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 3G3 

A Then shall the King say to them on his 
right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, in- 
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- 
dation of the -world. Math, xxv, 34. Ps. 1, 5, 6. 
Mai iii, 17. Math, x, 32. ib. xix. 28, 29. Rom. 
fii, 6, 7, 33-39. 1 Cor. iii, 12-15. 2 Pet. 1, 
11. 1 John iii, 2. 

Q What sentence will he pronounce upon 
the ungodly and the sinner, who neglected the 
great salvation which was offered them. 

A Then shall he say also unto them on his 
left hand, Depart from me ye cursed into everlast- 
ing fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. 
Math, xxv, 41. Ps. xi. 8. Pro. i, 24-32. Mai. 
iv, 1. Math, iii, 12. Mark viii, 38. Rom. ii, 
8, 9. 2 Thes. i, 8, 9, 2 P. iii, 7. 

Q, Should not the prospect of this certain and 
tearful judgment make us exceedingly diligent and 
strict in preparing to meet God ? 

A Yes. Beloved, seeing that ye look for such 
things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in 
peace, without spot and blameless. 2 Pet. iii, 
14. Amos, iv, 12. 

REMARKS. 

Antecedent to the great assize of the world, 
and, perhaps commencing with the seven thou- 



304 THE CATECHETICAL IA'STRITCTOm 

sandth year, the prophetic scriptures a Rude to & 
period of millenial glory, when "the knowledge 
of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters 
cover the great deep ;" and when " the kingdoms, 
of this world shall become the kingdom of our 
Lord and of his Christ." After this a short term 
of apostacy shall elapse, during which the powers 
of darkness, with unwonted zeal and virulence, 
shall lead captive unwary and unstable souls, 
The undefined length of this "little season," is 
that which envelopes the precise period of the 
judgment in doubt and uncertainty. "The day 
of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night* 
For when they shall say, peace and safety, then 
sudden destruction, comet h upon them, as travail 
upon a woman with child, and they shall not es- 
cape." (1 Thes. v, 2 3 3.): Nevertheless, re- 
mark, 

First. The certainty of the general judgment. 
The retributions ef the last day, are ordinarily 
grounded upon the justice of God; the veracity of 
God; the resurrection of Christ; and the analogy of 
the present world: (Ro. ii, 1-3. Gal. vi, 7, 8,) and 
it must be confessed that these are evidences of an 
invincible character. To us, however, it has long 
appeared, that the mercy of God is an additional 
argument of no mean consideration, It is the 
province of mercy to protect the weak and the 
defenceless, from the insults and cruelties of the 
strong and the insolent : and whether the mighty 
are found invested with the authority of a husband, 
a father, a master, a judge, or a tyrannical ruler, 



TH-E CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 



3<m 



ft stands to reason and truth, that the divine mer- 
cy should revenge the wrongs they inflict. This 
argument cumulates with the emphasis of those 
interdictions by which the oppressed and perse- 
cuted, in these several relations, are prohibited 
from avenging themselves. Indeed, it were not 
less difficult to harmonize with the justice than 
the mercy of God, that men- should be required 
to patiently submit to indignities, which they often 
possess the physical capacity to "resist," if, not- 
withstanding, they are left without any assurance 
that the wrongs which they suffer will, in the day 
of recompence, be visited upon the head of their 
perpetrators. "But unto thee O Lord beiongeth 
mercy; for thou renderest to every man according 
to his" works." Ps. lxii, 12. (Rev. vi, 9-11.) 

Secondly. The cliaracter of the general judg .- 
meat. It will be strict, impartial, and final. 

(1) It will be strict and impartial. It has been 
elsewhere observed, that wealth, intelligence, op- 
portunities, personal or family character and in- 
fluence, invest men with responsibilties : and, as 
in every case these in all their degrees, are distinct, 
ly understood by the divine mind, so, they will con- 
stitute the measure of the divine requisitions. This 
principle will extendi to every rational creature — <- 
whether angels or men, whether Jew or Gentile, 
whether christian, or anti- christian. The same 
condition: of moral character, will be demanded 
in every instance of like circumstances. An un- 
equal improvement with equal advantages, or aa 
equal piety and usefulness, with unequal advanta- 



306 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

ges, will be attended with like inequalities in the* 
retributions of the last day. It will not merely be 
a question what men were and did ; but what 
they might have been, and what they should have 
done. That Nero was not such an one as Paul — 
that many in our times are not christians, will not 
be so much an extenuation of their criminal im- 
piety, as it will be the ground of their condemna- 
tion. Nor will it be sufficient, that we did as 
much as our neighbor in the cause of Christ. JBut 
the question will be, what were the proportions 
between our capacities and opportunities, "For 
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall 
much be required.' 5 (Luke xii, 48. Math, xxv, 
14-30.) 

(2) It will be final. A slight attention in the 
physical condition of men will intervene death 
and the judgment. In the administrations of re- 
wards and punishments, reference must, of course, 
be had to the identical persons by whom the sev, 
eral acts were committed, and which are to be ap- 
proved or condemned. From hence arises the 
necessity of the resurrection of the body, and its- 
reunion with the soul — that, those members which 
were partakers in the guilt or innocence, may be 
also in their appropriate rewards. This, however 
implies no similar change in the moral character 
of those who will be assembled at the tribunal of 
<jrod. The complexions of soul with which every 
man comes to his grave, will attend him at the 
bar of his judge ; and it is worthy of especial re- 
mark, that the apostle demonstrates this an " eter- 
nal judgment." (Heb. vi, 2.) The decisions of 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 30T 

rihat day will be graven in monuments as dura- 
ble as eternity itself; and irreversible, will extend 
their doom commensurate with unending ages* 
They will form a period in the annals of the uni- 
verse, beyond which no event will transpire to 
militate the hopeless lot of the damned, -or- to pol- 
lute the swelling joys of the redeemed. He that 
is unjust, let him -be unjust .still; and he which is 
filtbly, let him be filthy still : He that is righte- 
ous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, 
lei him be holy still." "The former, shall go 
away into everlasting punishment; but the latter, 
into life eternal." (Rev, xxii, 11. Math, xxv, 
46.) 

"Thirdly. The lesson of the general judgment, 
It is a strange advantage, which the adversary 
takes of the uncertain period of death and the judg- 
ment to induce a postponement ofall preparations to 
meet God at Jhis coming. Nor is it less absurd than 
real. If it is not absolutely certain, that we shall die 
in a year or even many years; it is equally so, that 
we may die in a month or a day. And are we 
still secure ? Is it possible, that walking in the 
midst of such a whirl of alarming uncertainties, 
we should feel no solicitude 1 Seeing we look for 
such fearful things, what manner of persons ought 
we to be in all holy conversation and godliness 1 
looking for, and hasting unto the coming of the 
day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire 
shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt 
with fervent heat." Be ye therefore ready ; for 
in such an hour as } T e think not, the son of man 
cometh."- (2 Pet. iii, 11. Math. xxiv. 44.) 



LESSON XLL 

HEAVEN,. 

Question. Into what place will the righteous 
enter after the judgment? 

Answer. The righteous shall go away into 
everlasting life. For we know, that if our earth- 
ly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we 
have a building of God, an house not made witli 
hands, eternal in the heavens. Math, xxv, 46. 
2. Cor. v, 1. John viv. 1-3- 

Q. Will not the righteous be permitted to be-- 
hold the face of God in heaven, and dwell in his 
society forever ? 

A Yes. Behold, the tabernacle of God is 
with men, and he will dwell with them, and they 
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with 
them, and be their God. Rev. xxi, 3. Math. 
v, 8. John xii, 26. ib. xvii, 24, 

Q What is said of the happiness, which the 
presence of God inspires in the souls- of the righte- 
ous? 

A In his presence there is fulness of joy ; and 



SHiEl CATECHETICAL INSTRTCfOK, 300 

at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore. 
Ps. xvi, 11. ib. xvii, 15. ib. xxi, 6. ib. xxxvi, 8. 

Q, Will the pleasures of the redeemed, m th£ 
world to come, be alloyed by persecution, airlic* 
•tion, care and labor, as in this life 1 

A No. God shall wipe away all tears from 
their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, 
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be 
any more pain : for the former things are passed 
away. He v. xxi, 4* ib. vii, 16, 17. Job. iii, 17* 
Is. xxxv, 10. 

Q, What will constitute the chief employment 
of the righteous, in their heavenly existence 1 

A They will stand before the throne of God ? 
and serve him day and night in his temple. Rev, 
vii, 15. ifc iii, 12, ib. iv, 6-11. 

Q Will they not be made completely holy* 
3,nd fitted to derive pleasure from this divine em- 
ployment ? 

A Yes. It doth not yet appear what we shall 
be ; but we know, that when he shall appear, we 
shall be like him : for we shall see him as he is 5 
and I shall be satisfied when I awake in his like- 
ness. John iii, 2, Ps. xvii, 15. Rev. vii, 9-14. 
ib. xix, 8. 

Q What is said of the knowledge which the 



310 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

righteous shari possess of the character and gov- 
ernment of God, in the world above ? 

A Now we see through a glass darkly ; but 
then face to face : now I know in part ; but then > 
I shall know even as also I am known. 1 Cor. xiii, 
12. John xiii, Ik 

Q, Will not a part of the happiness of heaven 
arise from the recognition of friends, who have 
also been redeemed 1 

A Yes. We shall know our friends who are 
saved, even as Abraham and Lazarus knew each 
other; and this will contribute much to the happi- 
ness of heaven. 

Q. What peculiar honours will the Lord con- 
fer upon the saints in the world to come, over 
and above what you have stated ? 

A. rfence forth, there is laid up for us a crown 
of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
judge will give us at that day : and not to us on- 
ly, but unto all them also, that love his appear- 
ing. 2 Tim. iv, 8- Luke xxii, 29, 30. Rom. v, 
IT. Rev. i, 5, ib. xxii, 5. 

Q. Do not the scriptures teach that there will 
be different degrees of glory and blessedness in 
heaven, corresponding to the piety and usefulness 
of the present life ? 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 311 

A. Yes. They that be wise shall shine as the 
Brightness of the firmament ; but they that turn 
many to righteousness as the stars for ever and 
ever. Dan xii, 3* Luke xix, 16-19. 1 Coiv 
iii, 14 3 15, ib. xv, 41, 42. 2 Cor. ix, 6. 

Q. What influence should this doctrine have 
upon our conduct ? 

A. Therefore, be ye steadfast, immovable, al- 
ways abounding in the .work of the Lord, foras- 
much as ye know, that your labour is not in vain 
iii the Lord, 1 Cor. xv, 58. 

REMARKS. 

Whatever else may contribute to the felicities 
of heaven — as the society of angels ; the recogni- 
tion of friends ; and a perpetual increase of know- 
ledge : yet, they will arise, mainly, from the pres- 
ence of Gael; the assimilation to : God ; and the 
uninterrupted worship of God for ever. And we 
remark, 

First, The proportions of heavenly glory. — 
That there will be different degrees of glory in 
the future state; is consonant to reason and the 
analogy of the divine providence in the present 
world. With a sovereignty that gives no ac- 
count of his matters to any, God has variously 
endowed men with capacities, and assigned them 
different vocations and duties. Men sustain these 
several relations with varieties of faithfulness and 



S 1 2 TftE CATECHETICAL INSTS t/Ctu'R. 

success : nor can it be denied, that it is a funda* 
mental law of the moral universe, that the pres- 
ent measure of fidelity shall be the foundation of 
farther promotion in future. That, however, 
which reason renders thus probable, divine reve- 
lation has placed beyond all manner of dispute,— 
Here we are assured with sacred emphasis, that 
the guilt or innocence of men admits of every va- 
riety of degree, and shall be attended with every 
variety of praise or blame — that whatever tends 
r t > aggravate their criminality shall in like manner, 
enhance their misery ; and whatever tends 
to heighten their virtue, shall be also follpwed 
with corresponding tokens of the divine approba- 
tion. " There is one glory of the sun, arid anoth- 
er glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
stars ; for one star differeth from another star in 
glory : so also is the resurrection of the dead." 
'" This I say, that he which soweth sparingly, shall 
reap also sparingly ; and he which soweth boun- 
tifully, shail reap also bountifully." " For he 
shall reward every man according to his works." 
(1 Cor. xv, 41, 42. 2 Cor. ix, 6. Math, xvi, 27.) 
Secondly. The fulness of the heavenly glory. 
The highest degrees of earthly happiness are ex- 
ceedingly short lived and unsatisfying- The am- 
bitious conquests of the Emperor, and the extatic 
discoveries of the Philosopher, as completely fail 
to satiate the ever varying desires of the human 
mind, as do the sordid acquisitions of the miser, — 
There is a vast capaciousness in the endless cra- 
vings of the soul within, which can be filled with 



TfiE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 318 

nought inferior to God and eternity. In these 
alone, the panting spirit finds a good, commensu- 
rate with all her wants, with all her wishes, and 
with all her powers. To look with unbeclouded 
vision upon the ineffable effulgence of the divine 
glory— to bask in the bright beams of his pater- 
nal love — to feast on the hidden manna prepared 
for the saints in light, and to quaff the crystal 
fountain that flows from beneath the throne of 
God-— these will converge an eternity of bliss into 
every fleeting moment, beyond which the most 
enlarged capacities of our most exalted nature 
can feel no desires, " They shall hunger no 
more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the 
sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb 
which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, 
and shall lead them unto fountains of living wa- 
ters : and God shall wipe away all tears from 
their eyes," (Rev. vii, 16, 17.) 

Thirdly. ^The free grace of heavenly gloi*y* 
Salvation, from beginning to end, is of pure un- 
merited grace, It was grace that conceived the 
purpose ; grace that devised the scheme ; and. 
grace that executes the work. The human mind 
had been alike unable to imagine, or the human 
powers, to merit, the things which God hath pre- 
pared for them that love him. Had man retained 
his pristine innocence, the highest privileges to 
which abstract justice had entitled him, had been 
a mere exemption from punishment. How much 
less now that he has fallen, and now that his best 
performances are defaced with a thousand shade* 
21 



314 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

of sin and weakness! To acquit the guilty of 
their sins, and reward with glory, and honor and 
bliss, the works which he himself hath wrought 
in us, as though we had. done him essential ser- 
vice, is an instance of condescending goodness in 
God, that may well excite the undying song of 
"Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks- 
giving, and honor and power, and might unto our 
God for ever and ever : and let all flesh say 
Amen." (Rev. vii, 12,). 



LESSON XL I IV 

HELL. 

Question. Will the wicked go into heaven 
with the righteous ? 

Answer. No, There shall in no-wise enter 
into heaven any thing that defileth, neither what- 
soever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie ; but 
they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. 
Rev. xxi, 27. Math, v, 20. ib. vii, 21-23. Luke 
xiii, 24-27. 1 Cor. vi, 9, 10. Gal. v, 19-21, 
Eph. v, 5. Rev, xxii, 15, 

Q, What then will become of the unrighteous 
after the judgment? 



\ THE CATISCKETtCAL INSTRUCTOR, Sl5 

A They that know not God, and that obey not the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall he punished 
with everlasting destruction from the presence of 
the Lord, and from the gkuy of his power. 2 
Thes. i, 8, 9. Ps, 1, 21, 22. Pro., xxix, 1, Math, 
xxv, 41. Rom. ix, 22. Phil, iii, l£, 19. 1 
Thes. v, 3. 2 Thes. ii, 8, 12. Heb. x, 25-29, 
2 Pet. ii, 9, 12. ib. iii, 7. 

• Q Into what place will all the ungodly be col- 
lected and punished ? 

A The wicked shall be turned into hell with 
all nations that forget God. Ps. 9* 17. Is. xiv, 
3. Math, iii, 10, ib. v, 29, 30. ib. x, 28, ib. xxiii, 
29-33. Luke xvi, 22, 23. 

Q, What strong language do the scriptures 
employ to represent the horrible and intense suf- 
ferings of sinners in the world to come ? 

A Upon the wicked God shall rain snares, 
fire and brimestone, and an horrible tempest: this 
shall be the portion of their cup, Ps. xi, 6. Is, 
xxx, 33. ib. xxxiii, 14. ib. Ixvi, 15, Jer, iv, 3, 4. 
Mai. iv, 1. Math, v, 22, ib. xiii, 40-42, fife'^iv, 
41. Rev. xiv, 9 ? 10. ib. xix, 20. ib. xx, 10, 14, 
15. ib. xxi, 8o 

* Q How long will the wicked -be punished in. 
the fire of hell? 



£16 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

A These shall go away into everlasting pun- 
ishment ; their worm shall not die, neither shall 
their fire be quenched ; but the smoke of their 
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and they 
have no rest, day. nor night. Math, xxv, 46, Is. 
Ixvi, 24. Rev, xiv, 11. Dan. xii, 2. Math. iii r 
12. ib. xviii, 8, Mark iii, 29, ib. ix, 43-48, 
Jude 7. 

Q Will God, through mistake, accident, or 
otherwise, destroy any of the righteous with the 
wicked ? 

A No. That be far from God to do after this 
manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked : 
and that the righteous should be as the wicked? 
that be far from him : shall not the judge of all 
the earth do right? Gen. xviii, 25. Job viii,. 
20. Is. iii, 10, 11. Math, iii, 47-50. Rom. ii, 
6-10. 2 Thes. i, 6, 7. 

Q, How will it affect the wicked, when they 
shall see their godly friends and acquaintances 
taken into heaven, while they themselves are cast 
^ut ? 

A There shall be weeping and gnashing of 
teeth, when ye shall s~ee Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of 



*THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 31? 

heaven, and ye yourselves thrust out. Luke xiit, 
28, 

Q, Will not the ungodly, in the world to come, 
mournfully remember all their slighted and abused 
mercies and privileges ? 

A Yes. They will mourn at the last, when 
their flesh and their body are consumed, and say, 
How have I hated instruction, and my heart des- 
pised reproof: I have not obeyed the voice of my 
teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that in- 
structed me. Pro. v, 11-13. Jer. viii, 20. Luke 
16, 25. 

Q Will not ail holy beings justify and ap- 
prove the decisions of the last day, by which the 
righteous are saved, and the wicked destroyed ? 

A Yes. The heavens shall declare his righte- 
ousness ; for God is judge himself. Ps. 1, 6. Rev. 
six, 1-6. 

Q, How should we now act, in view of the 
solemn realities of the future world ? 

A Therefore, we ought to give the more ear- 
nest heed to the things which we have heard, lest 
at any time we should let them slip. For if the 
word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every 
transgression and disobedience received a just re- 
mmgence of reward ; how shall we escape if we 



^318 THE CATECHETICAL OSTRWCT&m 

neglect so great salvation, as is offered to *us m 
the gospel] Heb. ii, 1-3. 

REMARKS. 

That sin will be ■■ punished, certainly, and ade- 
quately, is admitted by all who profess -to believe 
the bible. This punishment the scriptures de- 
nominate "the wages of sin;" "the curse of the 
law;" "the wrath of God," &c : (Rom. vi, 23, 
Gal. iii, 13. Eph. v, 6.) and we submit the -'follow- 
ing upon, 

First. The certainty of punishment in afu~ 
iure state, In a proper sense, punishment implies 
personal criminality, and can fall alone upon the 
guilty. It is at once absolute, defamatory, and an 
expression of the sovereign's displeasure. These 
criteria of punishment, applying equally to the di- 
vine, as to human governments, when duly 
pondered, will sufficiently demonstrate, that noth- 
ing which a man suffers in this world, is the pen- 
alty of sin against God. It is not true, for exam- 
ple, that any form of mortal suffering, from the 
hour of conception to the hour of interment, inva- 
riably implies crime, or falls alone upon the wick- 
ed; or is disreputable, or is a mark of the divine 
displeasure, or is to be denied the thousand alle- 
viations of humanity and religion. (Eccl. ix, 2,) 
Nor does this argument derive a small advantage 
from the consideration, that no course of the stric- 
test piety can prove an infallible guarantee against 
zither the bodily or mental ills of the present life . 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 31§ 

So far from this, it not unfrequently occurs, that 
rhe more exemplary and pious are the greatest 
sufferers, by how much they are the more con- 
scientious and tenderhearted. On the contrary 
of this however, the following scriptures restrict 
he happiness of the wicked to the present world : 
(Ps. xvii, 14. Luke vi, 24. ib. xvi, 25) assert? 
that death shall be the annihilation of their hope : 
(John viii, 14. ib. xi, 20. Pro. xi, 7,) that many 
*hail not enter into the kingdom of heaven; 
'Math, vii, 13, 21-23.) that none, indeed shall, 
except upon condition of certain previous prepa- 
ration: (Math, v, 20. ib. xviii, 3. John iii, 8. ib, 
viii, 21, 24. Jtieh. xii, 14,) that some sins involve 
greater evil, than the greatest earthly afrlictions, 
or even death itself: (Math, xviii, 6-10. ib. xxvi, 
24. Heb. x, 28, 29) that there is a sin which 
-hall not be forgiven in this world nor the next' 
'Math, xii, 31, 32, Mark iii, 29. Luke xii, 10. 
Heb, x, 26. 1 John v, 16, 17) present the death, 
resurrection, and final retributions of the righte- 
ous and ihe wicked in striking contrast : (Pro. 
x, 28, ib. xiv, 32. Dan. xii, 2. John v, 28, 29. 
Rom. ii, 6-9) and unequivocally declare that the 
wicked shall be " punished" and " tormented for 
ever." (Math, xxv, 46. Jude 7. Rev. xiv, 11.) 
In a word, the whole remedial scheme executed 
by Jesus Christ, proceeded upon the supposition 
of a future punishment, to which we were exposed 
by the sentence of the violated law. The pur 
:£ese of his advent and death, was to deliver those 



* 



320 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

who believe on him from the curse of the law. 
(Gal. iii, 13,) that "they should not perish but 
have everlasting life." (John iii, 16. ib. x, 28.) 
This work he has accomplished, and believers are 
now delivered from condemnation, and are no lon- 
ger subject to the wrath of God. (Rom, v, 9. ib. 
viii, 1. 1 Thes. i, 10.) Hence, it follows, inev- 
itably, that "the curse of the law," "the wrath of 
God," "the condemnation" under which we lay, 
are not to be understood of the ills of this life; and 
that there is in the world to come, " a certain and 
fearful judgment and fiery indignation, which shall 
devour the adversaries." (Heb. x, 27.) 

Secondly. The characteristics of future 
punishment. There is scarcely any thing more 
pitiably uncandid and disingenuous, than a quibble 
, upon the metaphorical language of scripture. 
Men should remember how little they understand 
of spirits, and of spiritual things, ere they fault the 
Holy Ghost with ambiguity, when he would em- 
ploy terms and phrases of common life, with 
which to represent things future and unseen. If 
with the aid of types and familiar symbols, the 
glories of heaven, and the torments of hell; are 
but imperfectly apprehended, much less had they 
been by the technicals of philosophy, and the 
hieroglyphics of unknown worlds. It was but in 
condescension to mortal weakness, and for the 
benevolent designs of our timely " escape from 
the wrath to come," that the divine hand hath 
drawn before our eyes the most fearful images of 
the unutterable wo, to > which the finally impend 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 321 

lent are doomed: — representing them, as " burned 
up with unquenchable fire, where there shall be 
weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth for ever. 
(Ma. xiii, 49,50.) These are figures of easy under- 
standing to the simplest minds, and they convey 
impressions of the most intense and insupporta- 
ble anguish; and when to these we add, that the 
wicked shall be exiled " into outer darkness, " 
(Math, xx, 13) beneath the withering anathemas 
of the great God, (Math, xxv, 41)-— where the 
smallest alleviation to # their misery shall be deni- 
ed them, (Luke xvi, 24-26), and where no cheer- 
ing beams of hope shall ever arise to dissipate 
the brooding storms of tempestuous wrath, (Job 
x, 8. Ps. xi, 6,) it would seem, the picture were 
sufficiently alarming to arouse the most dormant 
energies of the soul within to a sleepless vigilance, 
" lest it come into that place of torment," But O! 
the society of hell; (Math, xxv, 41. Tim. i, 9, 1(L 
Rev. xxi, 8. ib. xxii, 15) and the distracting con. 
sciousness of guilt, and fear, and shame — the cor- 
roding recollection of abused mercies; (Pro. v, 
11-13. Luke xvi, 25) and the insatiable gnaw- 
ings of the worm that never dies — how these will 5 
add bitterness and death to the anguish of the pit! 
Nor yet is this all. The perpetuity of wo, is wo. 
A thousand ages of the direst wretchedness were 
tolerable, if beyond them there lay a gleaming 
prospect of final restoration. But what means 
that "impassable gulph," (Luke xvi, 26) that 
44 unquenchable fire," (Math, iii, 12,) that " boU 
tomless pit," (Rev. xx, 3,) that " smoke ©£ them 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

torment that ascendeth up forever and ever?' 
Rev. xiv, 11.) These are words of awful im- 
port, and fore-token that the wicked "shall go 
away into everlasting punishment," and shall 
M suffer the vengeance of eternal fire." (Math/ 
; :xv, 25. 46. Jude 7.) 



P A R T IV 



LESSON XLIIL 

THE CHURCH. 

Question. What is the christian church ? 

Answer. A christian church is a body of pro- 
fessed believers in Christ, meeting in the same 
place for the worship of God : and every such 
company is a distinct and independent church — ■ 
as "the church at Jerusalem," or "the churches 
ofGallatia." Axtsxi, 22. Gal.i, 2. Acts *iv, 
23, ib. xv, 41. Rom. xvi, 5. 1 Cor. i, 2. ih. iv, 
IT. ib. vii, 17. ib. xi, 16, 18. ib. xiv, 23. ib. x\u 
1, 19. 2 Cor. viii, 1, 19, 23. Gal. i, 22, 1 
Thes, ii, 14, Rev. i, 4. 

Q, For what purpose hath God instituted * 
church in the world ? 



324 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

A That we should T>e to the praise of his glory 
who first trusted in Christ; and to the intent, that 
now unto the principalities and powers in heaven- 
ly places, might he known by the church the man- 
ifold wisdom of God. Eph. i, 12. ib. iii, 10. 
Ps. lxvii, 1, 2, 5. Mat v,13-16. ib. xiii, 33. John xv, 
6, 16. Acts viii, 4. Rom. i, 8. ib. xiv, 7, 8. ib 
xv, 19. 2 Cor. ix, 13. Eph. ii, 10. 1 Thes. i, 8. 
Tim. i, 1.6. Tit. ii, 11-14. Heb. xiii, 16. 1 
Pet. i, 12, ib. 2, 9. 

Q On what foundation is every true, cbris- 
tian church built T 

A. We are built upon the foundation of the 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being 
the chief corner stone. Eph. ii > 29. Is. xxviii, 
16. Math, vii, 24. ib. xvi, 18, 19. Acts iv, 10-12 
1 Cor. iii, 11. 1 Pet. 2,6. 

Q. Do not the scriptures strictly caution us 
not to build improper and bad materials upon this 
good foundation? 

A Yes. Paul said, According to the grace 
which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, 
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth 
thereon. But let every man take heed how he build- 
eth thereupon ; for every man's work shall be 
made manifest ; for the day shall declare it ; be- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 325 

e&use it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire ■ 
shall try every man's work of what sort it is, 1 
Cor. iii, 10, 13. Mat. xiii, 36-40, 2 Cor. vi, 
14-18. Tit. iii, 10. 2 John x, 11. 

Q, What are proper materials, or who are 
proper subjects for admission into the church ? 

A They who give good evidence of repent- 
ance towards God and of faith in our Lord Jesus 
Christ are fit subjects for admission into the church 
and none else but they. Ps. xv, 1-5. Mat. iii, 
7, 8. Acts iii, 41, ib. viii, 12, 37, ib. x. 47, ib. xvi, 
14, 15, 31-34, ib. xviii, 8, ibxix, 18-20. Rom. x, 10, 
Q, In what manner do persons become mem- 
bers of the Church ? 

A The door of admission into the Church is 
baptism. For as many as have been baptized 
into Christ, have put on Christ. Gal. iii, 27, 
Rom. vi. 3, 17. 

Q Is there any inequality in the members of 
the Church, considered in a strict and religious 
sense ? 

A No. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there 
is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor 
female : but ye are all one in Christ Jesus. For 
we being many are one body in Christ, and every 
£>ne members one of another. Gal. iii, 28. Rom 



32Q THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

•xii, 5. Acts %;% 34. Rom. iii, 22, ib. x, 12. I 
Cor. xii, 14-27. James i, 9, 10, ib. ii, 1-9. 

Q By what bond of union, are the members 
of the church connected together ? 

A The bonds of church union are a similarity 
of views, a oneness of heart, and a sameness of 
purpose : For how shall two walk together, ex- 
cept they be agreed? Amos lii, 3. John xiii, 
35. Acts iv, 32. 1 Cor. i, 10, ib. iii, 3, ib, x, 
31. Eph. iv, 13-16. Col. ii, 2. 1 Tim. i, 19 r 
20 . 2 Tim. i, 13, Tit, i. 13, ib. iii. 10. 2 John 
11. 

Q. Should not members of the church, thus 
united, diligently watch over each other for good ? 

A Yes. Let nothing be done through strife 
or vain glory : but in lowliness of mind, let each 
esteem other better than themselves • and let no 
man seek his own, but every man another's 
wealth. Phil. ii. 3, 4. 1 Cor. x, 24. Mat. xviii. 
10, ll/t&. xx, 24-28. Rom, xiv. i, 15-21. Hek 
x, 24. 

Q What direction is given us concerning so^ 
cial and public worship ? 

A That we forsake not the assembling of 
ourselves together, as the manner of some is : 
but exhort one another, and so much the more as 



TEE CATECHETICAL 'INSTRUCTOR. 327 

ye see the day approaching. Heb. x, 28. Psi 
xxvi, 8+ib. xxvii, 4,'ife. lxxxiv, 1-10, ib. xcii, 13, 
ih cxvi, 12-19, ib* cxxii, 1, Is* ii, 3. Mai. ill. 
i§-18. Mat. xvtii, 20. 

Q Ought not the worship of God to be con= 
ducted with feelings of deep humility, reverence 
and decorum ? 

A Yes. Keep thy foot when thou goest to 
the house of God : and be more ready to hear, 
than .to offer the sacrifice of fools : for they con- 
sider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy 
mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to uiter 
any thing before God. Eccl. v, 1, 2. Ps, xciii, 
5. John iv. 22-24. 1 Cor. xiv, 26-40. 1 Pet. ii, 5, 

REMARKS. 
. The term "church," properly signifies an*a«. 
sembly, and that without regard to its character : 
(A. vii, 38, ib. xix. 32, 37, 40) nevertheless, it is 
now by common consent appropriated to a sacred 
use, and denotes either the whole body of the re- 
deemed, " whose names are written in heaven ;" 
(Eph, 1, 22, 23, ib. v, 25-27. Heb. xii, 23) or 
any particular society of professed worshipers of 
God meeting in the same place, holding the doc- 
trines of the apostles and prophets, and "Jesus 
Christ himself as the chief corner stone." (1 
Cor, iv, 17. ib. xiv, 23. Mat. xvi, 19, Eph. ii, 
20.) It will be perceived, that the lesson above 
relates to the church in the latter sense ; and we 
remark, 



528 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

First. The congregational peculiarity of the 
christian church. In contradistinction to a pro- 
vincial church, in which several communities sub-- 
sist under the same jurisdiction, the scriptures 
evidently represent each properly organized com- 
munity of professing christians as a church com- 
plete within itself, having the highest ecclesiasti- 
cal powers, and acknowledging no superior or 
head save Jesus Christ. (Eph. iv. 15. Col. i, 
IS. James iv. 12.) Accordingly, we read of 
the church at Antioch," "the church at Laodicea," 
•'the church at Babylon," and of •' the whole 
church coming together in one place." (Acts 
xiii, 1. Col. iv, 16. 1 Pet. v, 13. 1 Cor. xiv, 
*23.) After the same style also, a multiplicity 
of such bodies meeting at different points in the 
same extended territory, are uniformly mentioned 
in the plural number : as " the churches of the 
Gentiles," "the churches of Gallatia," "the 
churches of Macedonia," " the churches of Ju- 
dea," " the seven churches of Asia," &c, (Rom. 
xvi, 4. 1 Cor. xvi. 1. 2 Cor. viii. 1. Gal. i. 
22. Rev. i. 4, 11.) Nor yet is this all. The 
apostle distinguishes between difTerent congre- 
gations worshiping in the same city. Thus, for 
example, although Cenchrea was but a seaport of 
Corinth, yet the "church at Corinth" was whol- 
ly independent of the "church at Cenchrea;" 
and "the church at Rome," was entirely distinct 
and separate from " the church in the house of 
Aquilla and Priscilla," meeting, perhaps, in an 
sxljoining street. (Rom. xvi. 1-5. 1 Cor. L 2.) 



^H'E' CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 'S2§ 

Indeed, the congregational independence of the 
churches, is most clearly implied in every direc- 
tion relating to the election of officers, and the 
exercise of a wholesome discipline. (Acts vi, B* 
1 Cor. v, 4-90 

Secondly. The mutual co-operation of the 
churches. The object of the christian church is 
the promotion of the divine glory, in the personal 
well-being of its individual members, and in the 
enlargement of the Redeemer's kingdom in the 
world. Experience has shown, that in the pros- 
ecution of this object, innumerable difficulties 
ever and anon arise, to the removal of which a 
union of strength is not only expedient, but indis- 
pensably necessary. It was thus in the apostolic 
age ; and thus it will be till time shall end. Nor 
are w T e without a precedent in the example of the 
early saints, upon which to concert the mental and 
pecuniary resources of different churches in the 
furtherance of any benevolent designs. When 
the church of Antioch was rent with dissension 
upon the point of circumcision, they determined 
to send delegates to confer with the church at 
Jerusalem touching this question. (Acts xv, I N 
-31.) In like manner the gospel was first sus- 
tained at Corinth by the united contributions of 
the churches at Macedonia, (2 Cor. xi, 9) and at 
a later period, in the days of Claudius, when the 
saints of Judea were thrown into want, by reason 
of dearth, the church at Corinth, the churches of 
Macedonia, and the churches of Gallatia, all to- 
gether combined their strength, and sent them re* 
22 



380 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR; 

lief. (Acts xi, 27-30. 1 Cor. xvi, 1-3. 2 Cor 
viii, 1.) It is, furthermore, worthy of notice, that 
this co-operation was at the same time under the 
sanction of the inspired apostle, and yet volunta- 
tary on the part of the churches : shewing to the 
fall, that it is a principle vital to godliness to ren- 
der every reasonable and harmless measure sub. 
servient to usefulness. 



LESSON XLIV. 

OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH THE MINISTRY. 

Question. What are the proper officers of 
@te church ? 

Answer. The officers of a church are fch e 
x pastor, and the deacons. Phil, i, 1. 

v Q For what purpose did God institute the ?a.- - 
fcoral office in the church ? 

A For the perfecting of the saints, for the work 
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of 
Christ ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, 
aud of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a 
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of 
the fullness of Christ Eph. iv, 12, 13, 

Q, What charge has the apostle delivered to 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR'. 331' 

pastors, respecting both themselves and their re- 
spective flocks ? 

A Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the 
Hock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you 
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he 
hath purchased with his own blood. Acts xx, 2W, 
1 Tim. iv, 16. 

Q Is it not highly important that all ministers 
should possess ardent and exemplary piety? 

A Yes. They should be an example to the 
believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in 
spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Tim. iv, 12, ib, ill 
2-7. Tit, i, 6-9. 

Q. Do wicked men, probably, ever enter into 
the ministry by the call of God ? 

A No. Unto the wicked God saith, What 
tiast thou to do to declare my statutes, and that 
thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth % 
*eeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my 
words behind thee. Ps. 1, 16, 17» Mat, vii, 4. 
5, 15-23. 

Q What description of pastors did God, in 
Jeremiah, promise to give his churches in after 
times ? 

A Thus saith God, I will give you pastors 
aec ording to mine heart, which shall feed you 



THE CATECHETICAL IXSTRUCTOS, 

"with knowledge and understanding. Jer. iii, 15. 

Q In accordance with this promise, does not 
God require his ministers to read and study, that 
they may be u apt to teach P 1 

A Yes, Study to shew thyself approved unto 
God. a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth, 2 Tim. ii, 15, 
Mai. ii, 7. 1 Tim. iy, 13-15. 2 Tim. ii, 2. Tit, i, 9. 

Q How long did Christ, the best of teachers, 
retain the apostles under his special instruction 
before he sent them forth to preach the gospel ? 

A The ape- under the instruction of 

Christ for three years, until they folly understood 
all things pertaining to the kingdom of heaven 
before they were sent out to teach others. Mat, 
xiii, 51. ib. 28, 20. 

Q What proportion of their time should min- 
i's devote to the duties of their office ! 

A Give thyself wholly to them, that thy pro- 
fiting may appear to all : for no man that warretk 
entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that 
he may please him who hath chosen him to be a 
soldier. 1 Tim. iy, 15, 16. 2 Tim. ii, 4, 5. Luke 
ii, 60. Acts vi, 2-4, 

Q In order that ministers may be wholly de = 
voted to his service, does not God require the 
churches to sustain them comfortably ? 






TEE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. HUB 

A Yes, Let him that is taught in the word 
communicate unto him that teacheth in all good 
things : for so hath the Lord ordained, that they 
which preach the gospel should live of the gospel* 
Gal. vi, 6. 1 Cor. ix, 14. Neh. xiii, 10-14. 
MaL iii, 8, 9. Luke x, 7. Acts xiii, 2. Rom. 
xv. 27- 1 Cor. ix, 7-14. 2 Cor, xi, 8, 9. Phil 
iv, 10-18. 1 Tim. v, 18. 2 Tim. ii, 6. 3 John 5-8. 

Q What is sjaid of the manner m which church- 
es should regard the feelings and reputation of 
ministers ? 

A We beseech you, brethren, to know them 
which labor among you, and esteem them very 
•highly in love for their work sake* 1 Thes, v, 12. 
13. 1 Cor. xvi, 11, 18. Phil, i, 29. 1 Tim, v t 
17, 19. Heb. xiii, 7, 17. 

Q, Is it not very wrong and wicked to receive, 
or circulate- a report injurious to one of God's 
ministers, without the highest evidence of its truth? 

A Yes. Against an elder receive not an ac* 
cusation, but before two or three witnesses, I 
Tim. v, 19. 3 John 9, 10. 

Q How should ministers act towards each* 
other in view of their comparative ages and ch%c 
eumstanees ? 

A Ye younger submit yourselves unto the eL 



£34 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR* 

der. Yea, all of you be subject one to another* 
and be clothed with humility : for God resisteth 
ihe proud, but giveth grace to the humble. 1 Pet, 
v, 5. 

REMARKS. 

It is evidently in accordance with the apostolic 
usage, that each church should have her individu- 
al pastor ; and that the pastor should confine 
his labors, principally, to a single congregation. 
Hence, w T e read of "the angel of the church. at 
Ephesus," ".the angel of the church at Smyrma," 
" the angel of the church of the Laodiceans ;" 
and of " Titus left in Crete to ordain elders in 
every city." (Rev. ii, 1, 8, $>.*fii, 14. Tit. i, 5.) 
Indeed, there were as much reason in placing se- 
veral plantations under the charge of one "over-, 
seer," or several flocks under the watch of one 
shepherd, as there is in one minister assuming the 
pastoral charge of several churches at remote dis- 
tances. Aside from the violation of .scripture 
rule, this course is fraught with evils, which they 
w T ho desire the glory of God, and the good of 
souls, should sedulously labour to correct. But 
We proceed to remark, 

First. The piety of the ministry. Ministerial 
piety involves the piety of the churches. The 
one is the certain index of the other. That of 
the latter rarely or never rises above that of the 
former. The seal does not better modify the wax, 
than does a permanent ministry the moral, reli. 
£ious, and intellectual character of the community 



""THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 3*35 

*,mong whom he resides. "'Like priest like peo- 
ple," is almost universal history. It was, "there- 
fore," not without reason, that the apostle, fixing 
his eye upon the spiritual well-being ofthe people, 
first charged the ministry — "take heed to thyself." 
/Acts xx, 28. 1 Tim. iv, 16.) They who teach 
others, should teach themselves also." (Rom. ii, 
21-230 They who would pluck the mote from 
another's eye, should first cast out the beam from 
their own eye. (Math, vii, 4, 5.) No reasonable 
expectation of usefulness in the world can be in- 
dulged, farther than the principle of moral courage, 
the principle of self-denial, the principle of faiths 
the prompt and punctual obedience to the divine 
law, is strictly and uniformly maintained : nor is 
there any method of inculcating these effectually 
without example. The minister, as the leader 
of the host of "God's elect," must himself exempli* 
fy the virtues of the christian character — must 
himself evince a courage, that flinches from no 
embarrassment, a self-denial that holds no wedded 
gratification, a faith that staggers not at the prom- 
ises of God, a fidelity whose only watch*word is, 
* 4 Lord, what wilt thou have me to do:" and then 
will the churches arise and shine, in all the activ- 
ity and strength, in all the zeal and efficiency of 
primitive times. "Be thou an example to the 
believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in 
spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Tim. -4, 12.) 

Secondly. The support of the ministry. That 
the ministry should receive from the churches a 
-comfortable support while engaged in the duties 



336 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

of their office, is beyond question of divine autho- 
rity. Accordingly, it is, with peculiar emphasis* 
taught in the scriptures, as a provisional purpose 
of God in the dispensation of the gospel ; (1 Cor, 
ix, 14) as an act of reciprocal justice in those who 
are taught in the word; (Rom. xv, 27. 1 Coi% 
ix, 11. Gal. vi, 6) as involving the spiritual in- 
terest of the churches ; (Mai. iii, 8-iO. Phil. i% 
14-18) and as a means by which they " may be 
fellow heipers to the truth." (a John 5-8) To 
this, it may be added, there is the best evidence* 
that it was universally customary among the apos- 
tolic churches. Not even was the apostle Paul 
an exception. For, while there are, indeed, three 
allusions to his manual labor, at Thessalonica, ar 
Corinth, and at Ephesus, (1 Thes. ii, 9. Acts, 
xviii, 3, ib. xx, 34) during a period of not exceed- 
ing five years out of thirty of his ministry, (while 
in fact he was but engaged in planting churches 
in those cities) yet we know, that at the first point, 
of only six months stay, he was sustained by the 
church at Philippi ; (Phil, iv, 16) and at the sec- 
ond, of a year and a. hr,If, he received wages from 
the churches of Macedonia ; (2 Cor. xi, 7-9) and 
at the third, of three years continuance, he was 
liberally aided by the house of Onesiphorus. (2 
Tim. i, 16-1 8?) Furthermore, if we remember,, 
that the earliest fruits of the apostle's ministry, 
in these several cities, were Jews, (Acts xviii,, 
7. Romans xvi, 21. Acts xviii. 4, 7, 8, 17 9 
Romans xvi, 23. 1 Corinthians i, 1, 14) who, 
as has been judiciously remarked, were wont to 
8 upport their christian teachers, as they had pre- 



TKB CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 3 ST 

Tiously done their Jewish leaders, there will ap- 
pear strong presumption, that after these churches 
were organized, with the exception of that at Co- 
rinth, (1 Cor. xii, 13) they themselves, in whole 
or in part, sustained the ap^tle : and although, 
for prudential reasons, he himself declined a main- 
tenance at the hands of the Corinthians, (2 Cor. 
xi, 12) nevertheless, even that church acknow- 
ledged, and acted upon the principle with regard 
to her other ministry, (1 Cor. ix, 12) and blamed 
the apostle himself, because he had refused them, 
that privilege in his case. (2; Cor. xii, 13.) In 
a word, so universal was this custom, in all the 
first ages of the christian church, that even Gib- 
bon, in a work by no means designed to subserve 
the interests of -religion, could not forbear to men- 
tion it, among the various modes of that benevo- . 
lence to which the rapid extension of Christianity 
was, under God, mainly indebted. 

Thirdly. The devotion of the ministry. It is^ 
not material, as to the method by which any one 
is convinced of his call to the ministry. This he 
distinctly understands to be the will of God, in 
relation to him : and it must be allowed that in 
this matter, as in every other, God, as an intelli- 
gent being, specifically contemplates this, and 
not another, as his employment. Harmonious to 
this, the scripture doctrine of the ministerial pro- 
fession, makes it an entire and undivided conse- 
cration to the things of the gospel. This appears 
in the direction given to the church at Antioch ;, 
(Acts xiii, 2,) in the charge to Timothy, that h& 



3.38 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR 

should endure hardness rather than become en~ 
tangled in the affairs of this life : (2 Tim, ii, 3-5. 
1 Tim. iv, 15. Luke ix, 60,) in the institution of 
the deacon's office ; (Acts vi, 2-4) and in the pe- 
culiar mode of the apostle's argument on ministe- 
rial support. '" Do fe not know, that they which 
minister about holy things, live of the things of 
the temple ? and they which wait at the altar, are 
partakers with the altar : even so, hath the Lord 
ordained, that they which preach the gospel, should 
live of the gospel." (1 Cor. 9, 13, 14.) Now, 
the provision for the maintenance of the Leviticai 
ministry, had its origin in their exclusive devotion 
to a single and sacred office : (Num. xviii, 20, 21. 
Deut. xiv, 27,) and if the gospel ministry is not 
in like manner exclusive, then to argue from the 
support of the one to the support of the other, as 
the apostle has done in the present case, had been 
illogical, and conld have produced no conviction 
on the- mind of the sagacious and philosophising 
Corinthians. Indeed, whatever argument proves 
it to be the duty of the churches to sustain their 
xninistry, will equally prove that the ministry 
.should be i: wholly" devoted to the spiritual inter- 
ests of the churches : because, no minister, more 
than other men, has a moral right, after six days 
labor in the week about his secular interests, to 
appropriate to his additional advantage the "wa- 
ges" of the sabbath. Nor does the example of the 
apostle Paul at Thessalonica, at Corinth, and at 
Ephesus, in the slightest sense invalidate these 
observations, or furnish a precedent upon which 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 33# 

ministers may be secularized. For, to say noth- 
ing of the extenuation which he himself offers, 
thereby tacitly admiting it a departure from the 
law of the ministry, (1 Cor. ix, 15. 2 Cor. xi, 
12. ib. xii, 13,) there is no analogy between 
our circumstances and his, that can render a sim- 
ilar conduct in us, either necessary or excusable. 
He was at that time in the midst of the heathen, 
and as yet no church organized. He pursued his 
craft only at short intervals, and with no designs 
of wealth. Nor is there any evidence, that even 
this much was done by any other of the apostles: 
and iflhe apostolic example is a rule or reason of 
our conduct, that of Peter, James, and John, is not 
less authoritative, than could be that of St. Paul 
in any case. But there is no difference between 
them. With their united breath, and their united 
teaching, they charge us, give thyself wholly to 
the things of the gospel. " Continue in them, for 
in so doing, thou shalt both save thyself and them 
, that hear thee." (1 Tim. iv, 16.) 



LESSON XLV/ 

OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH THE DEACONS* 

Question What is the office of the deacons 
in the^church? 

Answer. The business of the deacons is to aid the 
pastor in administering the Lord's supper : to xe* 



540 THE CATECHETICAL IXSTHITCTGK 

eeive and pay out all moneys collected for the 
benefit of the poor ; and to have the oversight of 
all the temporal concerns of the church. Acts vi, 
I, 2. 

Q, What direction did the apostles give the 
church at Jerusalem, as to the qualifications of 
deacons, and the manner of their election ! 

A Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among 
vou seven men of honest report, lull of the Holy 
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over 
this business. Acts vi, 3, 8, 10. 

Q Should not the piety of deacons be charac- 
terized with sobriety, sincerity and benevolence I 

A Yes. The deacons must be grave, not double- 
tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of 
filthy lucre : — holding the mystery of the faith in 
a pure conscience* 1 Tim. iii, S, & 

Q, What is said of the qualification of deacons* 
with regard to their families ? 

A Let the beacons be the husband of one wife, 
ruling their children and their own houses well. 
1 Tim. 3, 12. 

Q Do not the scriptures also require that dea- 
con's wives, should be women of exemplary piety 
and goodnes* 1 

A. Yes,. Even so must their wives also be 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 841 

grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 
1 Tim. iii, 11. 

Q Ought not the church to be very careful 
lest they hastily put men into the deacon's office 
without these divine qualifications? 

A Yes, Let them first be proved; and then let 
them use the office of a deacon, being found blame- 
less. 1 Tim. iii, 10. 

Q After the church had erected suitable per- 
sons to fill the office of deacons, how did the apos* 
ties ordain them to their work? 

A They were set before the apostles ; and 
when they had prayed, they laid their hands on 
them. Acts vi, 6. 

REMARKS. 

There is, perhaps, scarcely any one thing, upon 
which, under God, the prosperity of the church so 
much depends, as upon the selection of proper 
officers. These, to a large extent, give direction 
and character to all her movements and measures* 
Nor is this more true of her ministry, than of her 
deacons. Although this latter is strictly a busi- 
ness office, yet, that business is so intimately con- 
nected with almost all her interests, as to render 
impossible too great caution with regard to the 
description of persons to whom it shall.be entrust- 
ed. And we remark, 

First. Deacons should be intelligent men : and 



3*2 THE CATECHETICAL IZsSTRVCTOii. 

b> v thiswe mean, not so much learned men. a~ 
men of quick discernment, and aptness to learn, 
In every community, there are those who discover 
a striking difference with regard to their ease 
and promptness in acquiring knowledge — -some. 
either from the native obtuseness of their mental 
powers, or from the films of prejudice and self- 
conceit with which those powers are enveloped, 
appearing utterly incompetent to distinguish the 
point of a proposition: while others recieve the 
truth with all readiness of mind, immediately per- 
ceive its force and bearings, and stand prepared to 
act upon it. Now these latter are they to whom 
we allude, and to whom the apostle referred in 
the phrase, " full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom:" 
and if occasions do sometimes arise, where those 
of eminent learning cannot be found to fill the 
office of deacon, there surely can occur no period, 
where, other things beings equal, men of sound 
and active minds are not to be preferred, above 
those of an opposite character. 

Secondly. Deacons should be business 
and by this we mean, neither that industrious 
worldliness, for which some are particularly 
mark abl e : nor yet, that "good, easy, good-foi - 
nothingness," so peculiar to others. This office 
does, indeed, relate to temporalities: but they are 
the temporalities of the house of God : so that one 
might be practically familiar with all the tactics 
of accumulating wealth and making fine bargains, 
and still possess none of the leading elements of a 
good deacon. Least of ail is a mere constitutional 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 343 

inoffensive tie ss, though it amount to a sort of nega- 
tive goodness, ^that characteristic so necessary in 
the present case. An active zeal for the poor and 
needy, an abounding sympathy for the distressed 
and afflicted, and a skill and dexterity in the man- 
agement and discipline of the church — these enter 
essentially into the character of him to whom 
should be committed this sacred trust. 

Thirdly. Deacons should "be liberal-minded 
men : and in this we refer, not so much to their 
doctrinal views, as to their pecuniary contribu- 
tions. We are no advocate for that species of 
charity which allows all opinions to be equally 
true, or equally innocent ; but we would strenu- 
ously insist, that every christian holds his wealth 
only as a steward of God, and to be appropriated ac- 
cording to the calls of necessity and benevolence. 
It is compatible with "holding. the mystery of the 
faith in a pure conscience," that one should "not 
be greedy of filthy lucre;" and a hoarding cove- 
tousness is not a less disqualification for the dea- 
con's office, than- is a lax and careless mainten- 
ance of the truth. No one can be fitted to dis- 
tribute the alms of others, who is not himself " full 
of good works and alms-deeds." Indeed, no one 
can render efficient service in collecting the char- 
ities of others, who is not himself known to be a 
charitable man, and ready to all works of mercy 
and goodness. But, 

Fourthly, Deacons should be pious men: and 
by this we mean strictly and exemplarily pious. 
"My Kingdom/' said Christ, "is not of this 



344 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

"vorld." Its origin and end, its rules and regula- 
tions, its spirit and government, are all of a hea- 
venly and divine character. Motives of selfish- 
ness and worldly policy, of duplicity and intrigue, 
of pride, and haughtiness, and ambition, find no 
place in that catalogue of tempers and dispositions 
which are required of its subjects. Especially, 
may these find no lodgment in the bosom of those 
who "bear up its pillars," and sustain its offices,. 
Here, more than in other men, is needed the ful- 
ness of all pervading divinity. Here, humility, 
patience and love, forbearance and pity, sincerity 
and truth, constancy, devotion and zeal, are indis- 
pensable qualifications. "Wherefore, brethren, 
look ye out among you men of honest report, faH 
of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, who may be ap- 
pointed to this office :" "And let these first be 
proved ; and then let them use the office of a dea- 
con, being found blameless." 



LESSON XLVI. 

ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH BAPTISM. 

Question, How many christian ordinances 
are there ? 



THE C^AYE CHEMICAL INSTBTiJCTOR. 345 

Answer, There are two christian ordinances, 
baptism and the Lord's supper. 

Q What is baptism ? 

A Baptism is the immersion of a believer in 
water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son 9 
and of the Holy Ghost, Math, xxviii, 19, 1 Cor, 
% 13, 15. 

Q, What does christian baptism represent 1 

A Baptism is designed to represent our faith 
in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; 
and our conformity thereto : for we are buried 
with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ 
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the _ 
Father, even so we also should walk in the new- 
ness of life. Rom. vi, 4. Cor. ii, 12. 

Q, By whom was baptism first introduced^ 
and where was it administered 7 

A John the Baptist came preaching in the 
wilderness of Judea, and saying, repent ye; for the 
kingdom of heaven is at hand. And there went 
out to him all the land of Judea, and they of Jeru- 
salem, and were baptized of him in the river of Jor- 
dan, confessing their sins. This was the first bap- 
tism. Math, iii, 1-6. Mark i, 4, 5« 

Q Did not our blessed Lord himself put lionor 
23 



34"6 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

and authority upon John's mode of baptizing 
submitting to it in person ? 

A Yes. It came to pass in those days, that 
Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was 
baptized of John in Jordan. Mark i, 9-11. I 
iib 13-17, 

Q What reason is given why John also, afiei 

baptized in iEnon ? 

A John also was baptizing in iEnon, near to 

Salim, because there was much water there : and 

the people came and were baptized. Johniii, 23. 

Q Was this baptism, which John practised of 

heayen ? or was it of men 1 

A It was of heayen : for God sent him to bap- 
dze. John i, 33. Mark xi, 30-33. Luke xx, 
4-6. 

Q Has God ever authorized any other mode 
of baptism than that which was introduced by 
John 1 

A No. There is one Lord, one faith, and one 
baptism. Eph. iy, 5. 

Q Who are proper subjects to receive bap- 

■ 
A The proper subjects for baptism, are such 
ood evidence of repentance towards 
God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 847 

Qf What did Peter, on the day of pentecost, 
eommand those Jews who were " pricked in their 
hearts ?" 

A Peter said unto them, repent, and be bap- 
tized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, 
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
Acts ii, 38. 

Q Were any baptized on that occasion, who 
xiid not gladly receive the word ? 

A No. They that gladly received the word 
were baptized : and the same day there were ad- 
ded unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 
ii. 41. 

Q, When Philip went down to Samaria and 
preached the gospel unto them of that city, did he 
baptize any except believers? 

A No. But when they believed Philip preach- 
ing the things of the kingdom of God, and the 
name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both 
men and women. Acts viii, 12. 

Q Upon what condition did Philip also promise 
to baptize the eunuch ? 

A Philip said, if thou believest with all thine 
heart, thou mayest. And he answered, I believe 
that Jesus Christ is the Son oi God. And he 
ecmmanded the chariot to stand still : and they 



§45 THE CATECHETICAL IVvTEUCTOfc. 

both went down into the water, i p anc 

much, and he baptized him. Ac: 

Q What is said c 

A He i 

saved. For if we hare been planted together in 

o. Mark xvi. 16. Rom. 
Q Wil] 

A Xo. Baptism doth also nov. 
the put nith of the 

; 

a, 21. 

REMARKS. 

First. 

or It is null and is peculiai 

is tufting 



*j& CATECHETICAI, INSTRUCTOR. 349 

jpirit, while the letter is kept. Take, as an in- 
stance, the sixth article of the decalogue : "Thou 
shalt not kill." Now, it is beyond dispute, the 
spirit of this command may either be broken or 
not, without any regard to its literal import. Not 
thus, however, with respect to any of the positive 
ceremonies of the Jewish dispensation, The ob- 
servance of these latter necessarily involved an 
absolute compliance with the identical* terms in 
which they were expressed : and in thm 5 we con- 
ceive, they were a fair illustration of all positive 
precepts—baptism not less than others. The ob- 
ligation, in the present case, arising solely from 
the commands can extend to only what the com- 
mand clearly enjoins ;.a'nd to this* it does extend 
with all the force of the divine authority. 

Secondly. The subjects of baptism. That it 
is the duty of those who repent and believe the 
gospel, to be immediately baptized, will not be 
questioned by any who regard the precepts and 
practices of the apostles as authoritative in the 
present case. But what we mainly desire to re- 
mark is, that the entire force of this precedent is 
opposed to the^baptism of any who afford no satis- 
factory evidence of such zeal and evangelical faith. 
Hence at Jerusalem, only such were baptized as 
46 gladly received the word ;" and at Samaria, 
men and women were baptized. When they be- 
lieved Philip, preaching the things of the kingdom 
of heaven. Hence also, the specific condition 
upon which this ordinance was administered to 
the Ethiopian Eunuch i and after the same man- 



360 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

ner, the house of Cornelius, and the Philipiaii 
jailer and his house were baptized, ^having re~ 
eeived the Holy Ghost," " rejoicing and believing 
in God." (Acts x, 47,. 48. ih< xvi, 34. Nor is 
any thing derogated from these observations by 
the admission, that some on those occasions were, 
perhaps, baptized, who were not truly converted. 
For, while it is conceded, that Simon Magus, for ex- 
ample, was still an unregenerated person ; never- 
theless, it is palpable that he professed himself a 
believer antecedent to his baptism : (Acts viii, 13) 
and if we are careful to note the entire silence of 
the scriptures respecting the baptism of any of an 
opposite character, such practices will appear not 
only gratuitous, but even an innovation upon the 
divine order. 

Thirdly. The mode of baptism. The act of 
baptism is designed to represent the death, burial 
and resurrection of Christ : and the sign should 
needs be conformed to the thing signified. Ac- 
cordingly, whether we cousult the original import 
of the terms chosen by the Holy Ghost, in the 
institution of baptism ; or whether we consider 
the places where it was uniformly^ administered, 
immersion evidently appears to be the only scrip- 
tural mode of baptizing. It is not new to the read- 
ing world, that baptizo and its derivatives, are in- 
variably employed to denote this ordinance : and 
that they primarily import immersion, and have 
been so understood and practised by the Greek 
church from the apostolic age to the present day. 
Nor, on the contrary, have all the learned expla* 



TEE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 351 

Fiations and criticisms, which have been expended 
on the subject, been sufficient to satisfy the com- 
mon people long at a time, that John the baptist 
and apostles did not resort to rivers and other 
places, where " there was much water," for the 
purpose of baptizing. But the designs and limits 
of this work, forbid us to enter into -a discussion 
of this question at great length ; and we simply 
recommend those who desire to see the argu- 
ments pro and con, to read the excellent treaties 
oa this subject, by Jewet, Judson, Pengilly, Hin- 
ton, Booth, and Carson. 



LESSON XLVIL 

ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH LORD'S SUPPER. 

Q By whom was the Lord's supper instituted, 
and at what time? 

A The Lord's supper was instituted by Jesus 
Christ himself, the same night in which he was 
betrayed. 1 Cor. xi, 23, 

Q Will you describe the manner in which this 
was done ? 



THE CATECHETICAL I^STRl'CT 

A As Jesus was eating the pas 

he took bread and blessed, aed break it, 

and gave unto them, saying, take, eat. And after 

: ? me manner, lie took a cup of wine, and when 

. Ting; 

riakofife 

Q What was the bread in the Lord"? supper 

: rilt 1 

A Jesus said r h:s is my w "is gi T "er. 

Lv.i- ww 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24. 
Q Whc 
A He said also. This rw ::• 

testament, which is : ::; the rw 

mission of sins. Math. xxvi. 25-, Mark xiw 24; 
1 Cor. xi. 25. 
Q How long did o ur Lord intend this ie: 

oserved in the christian 
A The feast of the Lord's as design- 

irehes to the e 

Q Is there any evidence that the early chris- 

t ized at Jeru s a o t he r 

broke the bread of the Lord's 

A Yes. They continued steadfastly in the 
: octrine and fellowship, and in bres 



TEEE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 853? 

of bread, and in prayers. Acts ii, 42, ib. xx, 7. 
Cor. x, 16. Gal. ii, 12. 

Q. What reason has the apostle given why this 
feast should not be neglected ? 

A For, as often as ye eat this bread and drink, 
this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come, 
1 Cor. xi. 26. 

Q What special encouragement to keep this 
ieast, is given in the .promise of Christ ? 

A Jesus said, Whoso eateth my flesh, and 
drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life ; and I 
will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh 
is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed, 
John vi, 54-51. 

Q Will this blessing result to any, unless* 
while they partake of these emblems, they exer- 
cise a strong and living faith iii Christ whose death 
they represent ? 

A No. But let a man examine himself, and 
so let him eat of that bread and drink of that 
cup. *For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, 
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself — not, 
discerning the Lord's body, 1 Cor* xi, 28, 29. 

Q, In what state of mind did our Lord caution 
ns to receive this feast ? 

A Jesus said, This do, as oft as ye do it, in, 



S54 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

remembrance of me. 1 Cor. xi. 25. Luke xxii, 19. 

Q Next to a grateful remembrance of Christ, 
should not all christians partake of this supper 
with feelings of sincerity and brotherly affection ? 

A Yes. Let us keep the feast, not with old 
leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and 
wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of 
sincerity >and truth. 1 Cor. v, 8. Rom e xii, 9. 
1 Pet. i, 22. 

Q When persons commune together at the 
the Lord's table, do they not profess to be one in 
their hearts, their manner of life, and in their doc- 
trinal views ? 

A Yes. The cup which we bless, is it not the 
-communion of the blocd of Christ ? and the bread 
which we break, is it not the commuion of the 
body of Christ ? For we being many are one 
bread and one body : for we are all partakers of 
that one bread. 1 Cor. x, 16, 17. Amos iii, 3. 

Q, What direction did Paul give with regard 
to such members as may be detected in wicked 
and bad conduct ? 

A If any man that is called a brother, be a for- 
nicator, or covetous, or an adolater, or a railer, or 
a drunkard, or an extortioner, — with such an one 
mot keep company, no not to eat. 1 Cor. y, 11- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTIiUCTOIl. 355 

13. 7. ib. x, 20, 21. 2 Cor. 6, 14-18. Eph. v, 
7-12. 1 Tim. v, 22. 

Q, How should we act in relation to those 
who manifest unsoundness in the great matters 
of the faith and practice taught in the gospel ?•' 

A If there come any unto you, and bring not 
this doctrine, receive him not into your house, 
neither bid him God speed : for he that biddeth 
kirn God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds. 2 
John x, 11. Math, xviii, 17, Rom. xvi, 17. 2 
Thes. iii, 6, 14. 1 Tim. vi, 5. Tit. iii, 10, 

Q, After our Lord and his disciples had supped 
together, what did they then do ? 

A They sung an hymn and went out, Math* 
xxvi, 30. Mark-xiv, 26. 

HEMARKS, 

As baptism is only a rite of initiation into the 
church; so the Lord's supper is strictly a church 
ordinance, and is sometimes called the sacrament, 
or the eucharist. And we remark, 

Fiest, The perpetuity of the Lord's supper. 
That the sacrament of the Lord's supper was de- 
signed to be of perpetual observance in the chris- 
tian church is apparent, from the nature of this 
institution, from the example of the early chris- 
tians ; and from the directions given of the mode 
and spirit in which it is to be observed. It is at 



356 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCT'OSi 

once a standing memento of the dying love of 
Christ towards his followers ; (1 Cor, xi, 24-26) 
and a public annunciation of their fellowship in 
all the leading points of faith and manners. (1 
Cor. x, 16, 17.) Harmonious to this, there is the 
best evidence, that it was statedly observed by the 
apostolic churches ; (Acts ii, 42, ib., xx, 7. Gal, 
ii, 12) and they were specifically cautioned to 
" keep this feast, not with old leaven, neither with 
the leaven of malice and wickedness ; but with 
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 
Cor. v, 8.) 

Secondly. The obligations of the Lord's sup- 
per. Next to the divine authority, the principle 
of gratitude in the heart of a christian, should 
naturally excite him, on all suitable occasions, to 
commemorate the condescending grace of his 
crucified Master. Nay, when we remember the 
influence of signs and symbols upon our organi- 
zed senses, and consider, that in the elements of 
this feast, we have before us the lively represen- 
tations of the bleeding and mangled body of our 
ever blessed Lord, it would seem, that policy it- 
self should suggest a participation at this table, 
that our faith may be enlivened, and our devotions 
stimulated. "As the living Father hath sent me," 
said Christ, "and as I live by the Father; so he 
that eateth me, shall live by me." (John vi, 57.) 

Thirdly. The frequency of the Lord's sup- 
per. There is no positive precept regulating the 
frequency with which the feast of the Lord's sup- 
per shall be observed. Those who may regard- 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 357 

lit the antitype of the Jewish passover, will find 
authority in this latter institution for only its an- 
nual celebration. On the contrary, however, it 
seems most probable, that the apostolic churches 
met every Sabbath day for the breaking of bread „ 
(Acts xx, 7. 1 Cor. xvi, 1.) But if in connexion 
with this the example of the churches in the ages 
next after the apostolic times, is allowed to have 
any of the force of a precedent in this case, the 
only rule that can be laid down, will be the exi- 
gencies of the occasion. Among these, it w r as 
more or less frequent, according to circumstances; 
the violence of persecution rendering its necessity 
more frequent, in order to sustain the faith of those 
who were daily exposed to martyrdom ; as the 
peace and prosperity of the churches allowed its 
periods to be mere stated and uniform. After all, 
w r e cannot forbear to think, that the practice of 
some churches to observe this feast only semi-an- 
nually, or at most once in three months, is too in- 
frequent to subserve its beneficial designs. 

Fourthly. The bars to the Lord's supper-* 
The prerequisites to the Lord's table, are a sound- 
ness in the faith ; (2 John x, 11) and a soundness 
of religious character. (2 Thes. iii, 6, 14. In 
consonance with this, all religious denominations 
exclude those from their communion, who have 
not been baptized : or who subsequent to baptism 
manifest themselves heterodox in the prime points 
of the faith of the gospel. After the same man- 
ner also, we are strictly cautioned to bar those 
from our fellowship, who discover a serious de^ 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR, 

lection in their christian deportment, and turn h. 
deaf ear to the pious counsels of the church. (1 
Cor v, 11, 13. Mat. xviii, 17.) Indeed, it were, 
impossible to maintain the "unity of the faith, 7 ' 
or the piety of the churches, without a strict ob- 
servance of this necessary and wholesome discip- 
line. It were less than vain to proclaim, this an 
error, or that a sin, while, nevertheless, we re- 
ceive and fellowship those who are the subjects 
of the fault. Is not the cup which we bless, the 
communion of the body of Christ? and is not the 
bread which we break, the communion of the bo- 
dy of Christ ? For we being many are oi:e bread, 
and one body ; for we are all partakers of that one 
bread." He that biddeth an errorist God speed, is 
partaker of his evil deed/' Be not partaker of oth- 
er men's sins," 1 Cor. x, 16, 17. 2 John xi, 1 
Tim. v. 233 



LESSON XLVIII. 

CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 

Question. How should we act towards thos? 
who trespass against us in our private and indi- 
vidual capacity 1 

Answer, If thy brother shall trespass against 
thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and 
him alone ; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gain- 
ed thy brother. Mat. xviii, 15, 21, 22, Lev. xix. 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

16-18. Pro. xv. 1, ib. xxiv, 29, ib. xxv, 9, 10. 
Luke xvii, 34. Rom* xii, 17, 21. 1 Cor. xiii, 4, 
Gal. vi, 1. James i, 20, ib. v, 16, 20, 

Q, Suppose/after the most pious and friendly 
effort to restore him, he shall refuse any satisfao 
tioii : what shall we then do ? 

A If he will not hear thee, then take with 
thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two 
or three witnesses every word may he establish* 
ed. Mat. xviii, 16. 

Q, But it sometimes occurs, that the offender 
becomes obstinate and will not hear even these : 
what must be done in that case 1 

A If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it un- 
to the church : and if he neglect to hear the 
church, let him he unto thee as an heathen man 
and a publican. Mat. xviii, 17, 

Q, Should not the church exclude from her 
fellowshirAll unruly and ungovernable members, 
who distract her peace and prosperity? 

A Yes. I beseech you, brethren, mark them 
which cause divisions and offences contrary to the 
doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them : 
for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Rom. xvi, 17. Acts xx, 29, 30. Rom, 
ii, 8, 9, ib, xiv, 3, 15, 21. 1 Cor, viii, 12, 13. Gab 



THE CATECHETICAL raSTIiUCTdlU 

iv, 17. Eph. v, 21. Phil, ii, 3. 1 Tim. i, 5-7, 
ib. vr, 3-6. James iii, 14-16. 

Q What should be done with such ministers 
and other persons as become heretical in their 
doctrines, and refuse to retract their wicked er- 
rors '? 

A An heretic after the first or second admo- 
nition reject : for if any man preach any other 
gospel unto you, than ye have received, let him be 
expelled. Tit. iii, i0. Gal, i, 9. 1 Tim, i, 19, 
20. 2 Tim. ii, 16-18, ib. iii, 6-9. Tit. i, 10, l.k 
2 Pet. ii, 1-3. 3 John 9, 10. Jude iii, 4. Rev. 
ii, 12-16. 

Q, It sometimes happens, that those who are 
neither contentious in their spirit, nor unsound in 
their doctrines, are, nevertheless, found guilty of 
some gross and immoral conduct : what are we 
commanded with regard to these ? 

A Now, I command you, brethren, m the name 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw your- 
selves from e very brother that walketh disorderly, 
and not after the tradition which he hath received 
of us. 2 Thes. iii, 6, 11-45. 1 Cor. v, 11-12. 
Eph. v, 7-12. 

Q, How should the church act towards those 
'^ho afterwards repent of the sins they have com 



^THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 36 I 

knitted, and desire to be restored to her commun* 
ion ? 

A Ye ought to forgive him, and comfort him r 
lest, perhaps, such an one should be swallowed 
up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech 
you, that ye would confirm your love toward hiry> 
■2Cor.il, 7, 8. 

REMARKS. 

The offences of church members are of two 
kinds : public and private. By the latter, we un 
derstand the insults or injuries inflicted by one 
person upon another in their private intercourse, 
and which are wholly unknown to any besides 
themselves individually. The law of their settle- 
ment, is that contained in Mat. xviii, 15-18 : and 
a departure from this rule were an irregularity to 
be reproved. Public offences, on the contrary": 
•include all notorious scandals, whether of a per 
sonal or general character ; and are at once to be 
the subject of church action. But we remark^ 

First. The object of church discipline. As 
the discipline of the church includes, both instruc- 
tion and censure ; so its object is three fold : 

(1) The benefit of the offender. Not, indeed, 
his imaginary good— his temporal interest and 
standing in the world: not his momentary grati 
Hcation— but his real, spiritual, and eternal well 
being. It is to teach him " not again to blas- 
pheme," and "that the spirit may be saved in 
24 



362 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

the day of the Lord Jesus." (1 Tim. l, 20. I 
Cor. v, 5.) 

(2) The benefit of the innocent. It is to be an 
admonition to those who are also exposed to tempt- 
ation, and, as far as possible to deliver them from 
the infectious example of a notorious transgressor. 
" Evil communications corrupt good manners.' ' 
"Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the 
whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old lea- 
ven, that ye may be a new lump." " Them that 
sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." 
(1 Cor. 15, 33, ib. v, 6-17. 1 Tim, v, 20.) 

(3) The benefit of the christian cause. The 
honor of religion in general, is perhaps, the high- 
est, as it certainly is the ultimate object of all 
things relating to the church. This is to be "the 
alpha and the omega — the first and the last," in 
all her actions. On this account it is, that she 
is commanded to " have no fellowship with the un- 
fruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove 
them "—to " let her light so shine, that men see- 
ing her good works, may glorify her Father which 
is in heaven "~— and " in all things to walk wor- 
thy of the Lord unto all pleasing." (Eph. v, 11, 
Mat. v, 16. Col. i, 10.) 

Secondly. The mode of church discipline. 
The designs contemplated in the discipline of the 
church, suggests the following rules as to the man- 
ner in whiph it should be done, 

(1) It should be prompt : and this we oppose te 
that ceremonious postponing of church action &a 
prevalent in some places. Discipline is ths 



THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 368 

ehurch's reprobation of nefarious wrong : and if 
the objects specified above can render it necessary 
at all, they do equally render it necessary at once. 
Accordingly, it is the concurrent judgment of those 
who are most distinguished for their wisdom and 
skill in church polity, that as soon as the offence 
is clearly proved, the offender should be placed 
under a merited censure. Nay, the inspired apos- 
tle himself, fixing his eye upon the weekly assem- 
blages of the church, strictly charges, " In the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gath- 
ered together and my spirit, with the power of the 
Lor.d Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one to Satan 
for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may 
be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Cor, 
v, 4, 5.) 

ThirdlYo It should be tender: and this we 
oppose alike to a haughty rashness, and to an ef- 
feminate weakness. The discipline of the churcL 
should be firmly maintained ; but maintained wit^| 
mildness and affection. We should not wink at 
sin ; nevertheless, we should " not break the brui- 
sed reed, nor quench the smoking flax." " If any 
man," said the apostle, "obey not our word by 
this epistle, note that man, and have no company 
with him r that he may be ashamed. Yet count 
him not as an enemy ; but admonish him as a bro- 
ther." (2 Thes. iii, 14, 15.) Look well to the 
nature of the offence, and to the circumstances 
of the offender : and let the flagrancy of the one 
and the intelligence and motives of the other, de~ 
Sermine the severity of the rebuke : but let the re 



394 THE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 

itself be administered with the meekness 
and gentleness of christ. 

Fourthly. It should be impartial. What tho' 
such an one "is of reputation *'' in the world? 
What though he is "near akin * J to ourself ? In 
v he church of God, we mav " know no man after 

iesh." (2 Cor. v, 160 "There is neither 
Jew nor Greek ; there is neither bond nor free : 
there is neither male nor female . but all are one 
in Christ Jesus.' 7 (Gal. iii. 28.) Here, we may 

v neither father nor mother ; neither husband 
nor wife ; neither son nor daughter ; neither bro- 

rior sister."- (De'ut. xxxiii, 9.) Whatever 
reason renders discipline necessary in any case, 
must render it equally necessary in every similar 
case. Xo one should fear it, if "he remain inno- 
cent ; and no one should expect to avoid it, if he 
commit sin. " It is not good to have respect of 

«ersons in judgment. He that saith to the wick- 
d, 'Thou art righteous;' him shall the people 
curse, nations shall abhor him : but to them that 
Tebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing 
shall come upon them." (Pro. xxiv, 23-25.) 
: Fifthly. It should be in concert. The dis- 
cipline of the church, is not the business of the 
pastor alone : nor of the pastor and deacons con- 
jointly. It is the business of the church — the 
whole church. The duty is equally imperative 
upon one, as upon another — upon all, as upon any, 
to see to it, that " the old leaven be purged away 
from the lump " — to see to it, that "the wicked 
son be put away from the body." If the goo?J 



*>HE CATECHETICAL INSTRUCTOR. 36^ 

i*f the offender ; the good of the innocent ; and 
the glory of God, are sufficient reasons to justify 
this action in any, it is not less sufficient to justify 
it in all. No man may from motives of selfish- 
ness and interest, of friendship and popularity, of 
"moral cowardice and fear, absent himself, or oth- 
erwise decline to sustain the action of his breth- 
ren. "We must act in concert, or we had as 
well do nothing. Members who violate this rule, 
are partakers of other men's sins: and them 
selves deserve the rebukes of the churc 
counteracting her measures.'' 



PCWiS 



ERRATA. 

Tlie reader will please make the following correc- 
tions with his pen : 
Page. 
220 line 3d from bottom read "phrases" for "the phrases" 

232 " 5 " " " diverse senses" for " the dt- 

verse sense." 

233 " 3 " " " we behold" for " behold" 
239 " 1 at top " have" " " hath" 

256 " 10 from top under " remarks" read "this pre- 
cedence" for their precedence" 
259 " 7 " top "insignificance" for "significance" 

277 " 10 " "'" these numerous" for" the numerous" 

278 " 5 from bottom " who chose of the" for " chose 

„ thee" 

279 " 14 " bottom " fore-knowledge" for " foreknow"' 
<.-. <; iq a a u foreknow" for " foreknowledge" 

306 " 18 " " " alteration" for " attention" 
" " 2" " " denominates" for " demonstrated 
309 " 6 " top " mitigate" for " militate" 
349 " 8 " bottom read " real" for- " zeal". 
351 " 4 « top "the apostles" for " apostle ^* : 



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